<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>A Silver Thread of Fate by celestia193, SilverKitsune2017</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24646630">A Silver Thread of Fate</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestia193/pseuds/celestia193'>celestia193</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverKitsune2017/pseuds/SilverKitsune2017'>SilverKitsune2017</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Flames of Fate [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Vampire, M/M, Prequel, Sengoku period, Vampire Turning</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:42:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>28,192</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24646630</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestia193/pseuds/celestia193, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverKitsune2017/pseuds/SilverKitsune2017</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Prequel to A Gift From the Ancestors.</p><p>Kakashi was set to make a fortune with this last mission. All he had to do was kill a pampered noble for the Oda and he would have enough money to retire in comfort.</p><p>But when faced with the boisterous and unpredictable Obito Uchiha, nothing went according to plan.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Flames of Fate [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1781977</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>113</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>celestia193's Author's Note: So, we've been sitting on this story for a while because when we were writing chapter 9 for A Gift From the Ancestors, the chemistries and backstories started to get so intense that we started writing/brainstorming side-stories and companion stories to go with the main story. We've got this one with several chapters ready, one that we've started for Madara for after the main story is over, and we're thinking of doing stories for Izuna, Shisui, and Izumi's pasts, as well as a future spin-off for Izuna, and maybe even for Sasuke. This particular story universe has given us a ton of material to work with and we're hoping to explore quite a bit of it. So let us know which backstories and spin-offs you'd like to see and maybe we'll take them out of the fridge and put them on the back burner while we work on the main story.</p><p>Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto or make any profit from our stories.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun dips below the horizon as Kakashi scales a rather large sakura tree. The pink blossoms were in full bloom. A beautiful myriad of delicate colors and a sea of petals would obscure him from view well enough. Most importantly, the tree was only about twenty paces from a koi pond. The very same koi pond that if his sources were right, Obito Uchiha frequented.</p><p>Kakashi settles on the thickest branch of the tree taking stock of his weapons. His kunai, sword, and poisons were all within easy reach of both his hands. Any of them should be sufficient to accomplish his latest mission. Just one more kill and then he could retire in luxury.</p><p>His eyes scan the Takeda estate. It was large and elegant. The pond was just far enough away from the building that Kakashi estimated there was only a moderate risk someone would overhear his target's death in the worst case scenario. Even then...he should be able to evade capture easily enough. Preferably, Uchiha would breathe his last before he even had the chance to scream.</p><p>Kakashi did prefer granting his targets quick deaths when given the option on assassination missions. They were one of his least favorite kinds of assignments, but one couldn't argue they paid well and if he didn't take them...someone else would.</p><p>His eyes flicker to the house the Uchiha was said to be staying in. According to one of the kitchen staff Kakashi had met the night before at a nearby tavern, Master Uchiha preferred to conclude his day with an evening stroll by the koi pond. Well, that was fine with Kakashi. He could either frame the Takeda for Uchiha's death or perhaps he simply fell and drowned. A well-placed bottle of empty sake could do the trick. Make them all believe Uchiha had slipped after drinking too much and had died with his beloved fishes.</p><p>Movement near the corner of the house announces the leisurely approach of a slim, well-dressed figure. A tousled fringe covers a pale forehead and a loose topknot holds back thick hair as black as a raven’s feathers. His soft obsidian eyes sparkle joyfully with every step.</p><p>The young man, barely entered into his third decade, ambles forward along the wooden hall with an easy smile. His hands rest tucked within his sweeping golden sleeves and his soft gray hakama billows around his ankles as he strides gracefully towards the pond. As if the young man could walk on air.</p><p>A small ripple of guilt swims through Kakashi's veins. Obito Uchiha seemed like such a happy man. He couldn't remember a time when he himself had ever been that free. Of course, it helped to be born into a wealthy family that never had to worry where their next meal was coming from, he suspected.</p><p>"He's a graceful one." The man presented the kind of image that Kakashi was sure artists could spend a lifetime trying to capture, but the dreamy scene was about to become a nightmare.</p><p>Kakashi just needed one opening and then it would be all over. The young man frolicking about had lowered his guard. That was a careless mistake on his part. One was never truly safe in this era, but it was an error that Kakashi intended to capitalize on.</p><p>Obito’s smile brightens as he approaches the pond. Rather than stay on the wooden walkway, he hops off and into the grass, landing like a kitten with an eye on its prey. He stalks to the edge of the pond and crouches there, then dips his finger into the pond and swirls it about. “Hello Mibuna. Hello Kai. How are you today?”</p><p>"And here I thought the Uchiha Clan was famed for their warrior spirit and intellectual prowess." Kakashi chuckles from his position. The thick sakura blossoms on the tree were more than enough cover to hide him from prying eyes. "The man is talking to fish as if they're going to return the favor." The scene was so comical, that he decides to indulge himself in a few moments of entertainment. Perhaps Obito would tell his fish friends something useful. Oda might even give Kakashi a bonus if such an event were to occur.</p><p>“Oh I’m doing well. Except that I’m so very bored.” Obito sighs dramatically. “I want to return home to Kyoto. Lord Madara took in some of my cousins a little while ago and I’d love to meet them. I hear that one of them’s a girl.” Obito laughs brightly when one of the fish swims up to nibble on his finger. “Yes, I think she’s going to be beautiful too.” Then he tilts his head. “Well, it’s not as if I don’t like this place. It’s beautiful here. I just think that perhaps they should have sent Lord Izuna or Lord Hiroto instead. They know much more about politics and war than I do.”</p><p>The guilt becomes more pronounced. Obito might have the body of a man, but he had the lighthearted spirit of a child. Kakashi's fingers twitch around a vial of poison. Still, he forces himself to remain sitting on the branch. "If he babbles anything about the likes of those two to the fish all the better."</p><p>Obito was a high valued target, but Lord Izuna and Lord Hiroto were even more so. Unfortunately, they were too well protected for even the likes of Kakashi to entertain the idea of taking either of them out. A pity. The bounty on their heads would have been enough for Kakashi to live like an emperor.</p><p>“You know, I wish I had a lover.” Obito sighs wistfully. “Lord Izuna and Lord Hiroto have the women of Kyoto swooning all across the court, but…I don’t know. None of them appeal to me. They’re beautiful, but they have no fire, no passion. They sit still and quietly, the perfect court ladies, but…I want more than a perfect court lady.” He tickles the belly of a bright orange fish. “Do you think I’ll find love one day, Mibuna?”</p><p>Kakashi frowns. Maybe listening to the cheerful musings of his latest target had been a bad idea. Obito was too innocent. It almost felt like blasphemy even for him to take the life of someone this pure. Talking to fish, wishing for love, and other childish nonsense. "I'll make this one quick. What would be the least painful method?" Drowning would be convenient, but an unpleasant way to die. Perhaps a well-aimed kunai from this distance would do the job. Obito would never see it coming.</p><p>Obito laughs sweetly. “You’re right, Kai. Maybe this time I shouldn’t look for love, but let it come find me instead. I’ll find a game to play in the meantime. Let me go and get some sake from the kitchens and then we’ll sit together and watch the sunset.” His lips curve up into a mischievous smile. “Maybe this time they’ll send someone more interesting…”</p><p>'Maybe this time they'll send someone more interesting.' Damn it. That single sentence spurs Kakashi into action. Oda must have sent other assassins after Obito before and he had grown to EXPECT an attack at sunset.</p><p>Well, there was nothing for it. Kakashi would have to take the direct approach. He sends a flurry of kunai sailing at his target. "You were more perceptive than I thought, but that doesn't matter." It only took one kunai to slice the right artery or hit a vital point and his aim had always been superior even among other ninjas.</p><p>“Whoa!” Obito spills forward into the pond face-first, splashing water everywhere as the kunai sail over his head. A number of sharp clangs ring out as the kunai hit a collection of rocks right beside where Obito just sat.</p><p>An instant later, Obito resurfaces, his topknot undone and his hair spilling messily over his shoulders and down his back. He laughs and rakes the hair from his face, then notes the kunai laying in the grass. “Oh, more for my collection.” He puts his hand down in the water to lever himself up, only to blink and laugh again. “Oops.” He removes his hand from the water, clutching a human skull. “Right, I forgot about you. Looks like your next successor is here.” He tosses the skull back into the water and rises to his feet.</p><p>Kakashi stares in shock. He missed? He never missed. He was about to vault out of the tree to finish the job when the idiot pulls a human skull out of the water.</p><p>His words might still be innocent enough, but the way Obito had thrown the skull back into the water was anything but. No, he hadn't just discovered the remains of someone. He wasn't horrified enough for that to be a possibility. Obito had known the body was there. Likely being the corpse's murderer himself. "I see he fancies himself a performer."</p><p>It had all been an act. The entire thing. Kakashi wasn't sure how, but Obito must have known someone was watching him and he had just given away his location like a damn novice.</p><p>Obito trundles carefully out of the water and shrugs off the top of his kimono. Beneath the soft cloth hides a collection of lithe, toned muscles and a pair of leather straps that wrap around his waist, carrying a variety of kunai from foiled attempts past. He gathers up the fallen weapons and looks at them fondly. “It looks like the game found me this time.” He glances up into the tree from whence the kunai came and smiles directly at his hidden assailant. “It’s nice to meet you.” And in the blink of an eye, a kunai sails through the air and embeds itself in the tree less than two inches from the shinobi’s head.</p><p>Kakashi glances at the kunai that had almost struck him. He wasn't entirely certain if Obito had missed on purpose or not. Whatever the reason, the silver haired ninja jumps out of the tree and lands on his feet with the grace of a furious feline. "You're going to regret dodging. It would have been a quick clean death if you hadn't."</p><p>“But what would be the fun in that?” Obito twirls one of the kunai around his finger, then grasps it in a firm reverse grip. “It’s been months since Oda sent the last one after me. I’ve been horribly bored.” Obito’s dark eyes flick up and down the black-clad form of the man before him. “You’re by far the most interesting thing I’ve seen since autumn.”</p><p>"Allow me to alleviate your boredom further then." Kakashi frowns as he takes out his sword. Obito excelled with kunai and he was fast, but Kakashi likely had the advantage in brute strength. "I suppose you'll at least go to your grave with a smile on your face." He doesn't wait for a reply as he charges towards the smug nobleman.</p><p>The blade is parried and shoots off to the side as the force of the swing sends the assassin flying safely past Obito. Obito drops the ruined kunai into the water to join the skull. “You’re fast. And you’re strong too. This could be fun!” He picks up the floating hair tie from the water and gathers his soaking hair in his hand. He bunches it and wraps it to seat the messy topknot directly on top of his head. “Will you try again?”</p><p>"You're some kind of masochist." Kakashi tightens his grip on his sword after he manages to anchor himself more firmly on the ground. Obito was a force of nature. He'd almost knocked Kakashi completely on his ass. "But it doesn't matter how many assassins he sent after you, I'm going to be the one to collect the bounty." Kakashi rushes towards Obito with a carefully aimed stroke of his sword. He'd make the cocky brat bleed to death after slicing open his stomach.</p><p>Obito leans back and steps to the side to avoid the sword. His grin darkens with excitement. “You really are good. What’s your-” Then he flinches and a hand flies out to push the assassin away as a kunai runs across the firm muscles of his abdomen and drives deep into his stomach. “Ah…that…that hurt.”</p><p>Kakashi feels himself being pushed back, but smirks all the same. A brilliant torrent of crimson was gushing from Obito's stomach. "I imagine so. I'd worry more about saying your prayers than learning my name. You're going to bleed to death soon." His kunai had gone deep enough that it would only take a few minutes at most. Still, Kakashi wasn't one to taunt his prey. He'd end the fight honorably. He rushes back towards Obito swinging his sword towards the other man. If he angled it just right as he had done countless times before, Obito's skull could join the unnamed assassin at the bottom of the koi pond.</p><p>But even as crimson blood stains Obito’s kimono and hakama, he ducks as quickly as a bolt of lightning and the sword sails clean over his head. He laughs as he pulls the kunai from his stomach and backs away. “Heh, with an arm so slow, I bet you couldn’t even touch my topknot.” He presses a hand to his stomach to cover the wounds.</p><p>Kakashi glowers. The bastard wanted him to lose his temper. That was all. "Brave words from the one whose life's blood is pouring onto the ground." He'd make the brat choke on them as he entered the afterlife. Kakashi reaches into his belt and hurls a smoke bomb at the other man.</p><p>Smoke explodes in all directions, obscuring both men from view. But it was funny to Obito. The last three hadn’t made so much noise as this one. “You’re not a very good ninja, you know.” He smirks and taps the ninja on the shoulder with a blood-soaked finger. “You’re supposed to try to assassinate me quietly.”</p><p>Kakashi's eyes widen at the touch. "Are you some kind of demon? No man moves that fast." How had he seen through the smoke so easily?</p><p>Obito takes a step back as the smoke begins to clear. The life of such a distraction was short-lived. “A demon…come now, we’ve only just met.” The noble’s features sink into a child-like pout. He uses his ruined kimono to wipe the crimson stains from his moon-like skin.</p><p>How as the man still moving so quickly? Running with a wound like that should have killed him by now or at least he should be in agony. So, why as the man able to carry on a conversation as if a lethal wound was of no more consequence than a splinter? "I suppose you're right. It doesn't really matter what you are. You still bleed like a human."</p><p>Kakashi decides to leverage the other man's sulking to his advantage. He darts off with his sword coming at Obito from behind. If he could hit the heart, it'd be all over for his strange opponent.</p><p>This assassin was interesting, Obito would give him that. Interesting enough that he forces out a gasp as the sword pierces through his back and into his heart. His eyes widen slightly and a strangled gurgle bubbles up his throat before a trickle of blood blows from the corner of his lips. “Well…played…”</p><p>"Thank you." Kakashi smirks as he yanks the sword out of Obito. "Finally, Oda is going to be pleased." Hmm. Unfortunately, it had been a bloodbath of a fight. Well, he could still leave the body here and they'd likely assume one of Obito's hosts had got him. Carrying it with him back to Oda seemed too high of a risk to take.</p><p>The noble’s body crumples to the ground, unmoving. His pale, childish face retains a hint of a smile and his dark eyes stare at nothing as blood pours from the wound in his chest.</p><p>Kakashi smirks as he begins to walk away. He was free at least. With the money Oda would pay him for this job, he could spend the rest of his life as a wealthy man. He'd never again be forced to do someone else's dirty work.</p><p>He turns around and stops in his tracks when a pair of red eyes stare directly at him. "What the hell?" Those were the eyes of a demon...Kakashi feels as though he was frozen right where he was in terror. Those dark irises weren't...human.</p><p>A soft voice chuckles and murmurs dozens of nearly unintelligible words, words that appear and disappear, commanded to be forgotten. And the assassin falls, caught only moments before hitting the ground as a voice chuckles with amusement. “Well played, indeed.”</p><hr/><p>Kakashi watches the young nobleman closely as he crouches precariously beside the pond. After all, this young man’s head would make him a very rich man.</p><p>“You know, I wish I had a lover.” Obito sighs wistfully. “Lord Izuna and Lord Hiroto have the women of Kyoto swooning all across the court, but…I don’t know. None of them appeal to me. They’re beautiful, but they have no fire, no passion. They sit still and quietly, the perfect court ladies, but…I want more than a perfect court lady.” He tickles the belly of a bright orange fish. “Do you think I’ll find love one day, Mibuna?”</p><p>Kakashi frowns. Maybe listening to the cheerful musings of his latest target had been a bad idea. Obito was too innocent. It almost felt like blasphemy even for him to take the life of someone this pure. Talking to fish, wishing for love, and other childish nonsense. "I'll make this one quick. What would be the least painful method?" Drowning would be convenient, but an unpleasant way to die. Perhaps a well-aimed kunai from this distance would do the job. Obito would never see it coming.</p><p>Obito laughs sweetly. “You’re right, Kai. Maybe this time I shouldn’t look for love, but let it come find me instead. I’ll find a game to play in the meantime. Let me go and get some sake from the kitchens and then we’ll sit together and watch the sunset.” His lips curve up into a mischievous smile.</p><p>Kakashi readies his kunai and releases it from his hand. But his plans are cut short as the kunai hits a rock when the young nobleman falls with a clumsy splash into the water. The water soaks his blue kimono and plasters it to his skin as he resurfaces. “Oops!”</p><p>Kakashi stares, dumbfounded. He missed? He never missed. Frowning, he was about to descend from the tree to finish this job with a personal touch when he notices Obito had already gotten out of the water. The clumsy man was already halfway back to the house. "Well, maybe one more day can't hurt."</p><p>Obito looks back over his shoulder with a sweet, genuine smile on his face, finally enjoying life for what seemed like the first time in years. He waves amiably to the fish. “I’ll see you tomorrow!” And with a flash of blue and dark green, he disappears through an open screen and slides the door shut behind him.</p><p>"He said goodnight to the fish?" Kakashi tilts his head. "He's a strange one. That's for sure."</p><p>A cool wind ruffles the petals and sends them swirling into the warm summer air. They dance like lovers, forever entwined in a romantic, short-lived dance.</p><hr/><p>Within the confines of the house, Obito Uchiha smirks slyly to himself. “It’s been a while since I last got to play with a human like this…” The others had been so boring. He wanted one that might be able to match him in strength and in wits. At least, as much as any human could.</p><p>He opens the door to his quarters and slides it shut behind him. He settles himself on his warm, thick futon and reaches under one of the floorboards for an old, battered scroll. He unfurls it slowly, the writing of years past already decorating over half of the long paper. Then he makes the scroll smooth and fit for writing on and takes a brush and ink stone already prepared for his use. He rubs and ink stick on the stone, then dips his brush into the dark pigment.</p><p>“Today, I met my newest killer. This one’s rather lively.” Obito smiles softly, almost…fondly. “Maybe he can help relieve my loneliness…”</p><p>After brushing hundreds of lines into the paper and allowing the ink to dry, the young noble rolls up the paper and places it back into the box he keeps hidden beside his bed. “I’ll see you tomorrow, my devoted shinobi.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>celestia193's Author's Note: So, guess who did their research on Sengoku Period warlords? I did! So enjoy a teasing taste of something actually documented in history. I just wish I could see the contract that Shingen signed. Unfortunately, that's in a museum in Japan, and alas, I haven't yet been to Japan. Still, enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Obito smiles charmingly as he relaxes in the warlord’s meeting chambers. Unlike most other days, he was rather looking forward to this meeting. Finally he had something to occupy his time with that wasn’t just war and death. But, that seemed to be the interest of most humans, so he would play their games for a little while. So long as the silver wolf kept playing his.</p><p>He raises a flat cup of sake to the young warlord who sat before him. “We’re looking rather pleased with ourselves, aren’t we? What’s put this smile on your face today? I saw Masanobu walking with some difficulty on my way here this morning.”</p><p>"As always, Masanobu is the moon in my sky. It's difficult not to be in a pleasant mood in his presence." Shingen smiles. One did have to enjoy the pleasures life had to offer. Far too often they were scarcer than they should be. "Though we both know that's not why I called you here. Oda concerns me. He will pose the greatest challenge to my becoming Shogun."</p><p>“His armies are strong, and according to my clan, he brings in weapons from the west. Firearms, cannons, gunpowder.” Obito had read every letter from home and memorize their contents. “They could pose quite a threat to your cavalry, bring down your horses from a distance and crush your riders beneath them.”</p><p>Shingen's smile morphs into grim resolution. "I surmised as much. What I am less certain is how to negate this advantage of his. Our cavalry are brave and will fight to the last man, but I will not condemn them to meaningless deaths."</p><p>“No, meaningless death isn’t what holds my clan’s interest.” And neither did it hold Obito’s. He enjoyed blood as much as the next Uchiha, but that didn’t make them monsters. “It may not be honorable, but I would suggest making their stores of gunpowder unusable by sending those who could sabotage without being seen. Without the powder, their weapons are useless and their foot-soldiers easily trampled.”</p><p>It was a bitter medicine to swallow, but Obito's strategy was a wise one. "I cannot say I care for such tactics, but in the end...it is better than allowing our warriors to be wiped out. I shall send the Sanada Ten Braves." He pauses, drumming his fingers against his knee, deep in thought. "Their loyalty and skill is without question. If we send too many men, it's more likely they'll be noticed. Ten men should be enough to slip undetected across enemy lines and sabotage their stores quickly."</p><p>Ah…the ninja that were flitting about the compound. Obito had noticed them here and there in the shadows, and even walking in the open in disguise. They were quite good at what they did. Most wouldn’t be able to tell that they were there at all, nor that they were such fearsome warriors. “I think that Yukimura’s men would be quite up to the task, they already excel at hiding themselves among your guards and staff whenever their master is here.”</p><p>"Good. The matter is settled down. I do hope you will join me for dinner, my friend." Shingen's expression softens as he glances towards the kitchens. "I imagine it should be ready shortly. I've recently taken a new cook into my employment. Perhaps he will manage to impress us with his culinary prowess."</p><p>Obito chuckles and holds up his cup with a teasing smile on his lips. “If it brings with it more sake, I think that I could suffer the presence of the ever smug Tiger of Kai a little longer.”</p><p>"Oh come now, I'm not that smug." He laughs softly as the food is brought out by several servants. "I hope it's to your liking."</p><p>“It always is.” Obito’s eyes twinkle as a maidservant places a tray before him and her partner sidles to his side with a bottle of sake. Similarly, two maidservants and Shingen’s poison tester surround his host to attend to their lord’s needs. He takes up his chopsticks and blasphemes the moment his chopsticks scoop fish and vegetables onto his rice, then dunk the mound into his miso soup. “To your new chef.” He raises his chopsticks with a smile and deposits the tasty morsel between his lips and chews softly.</p><p>Shingen gapes at Obito's display. "While I admire your zest for life, there is a reason we have poison testers." The other man could have been killed.</p><p>“Oh dear Shingen, you shouldn’t worry for me.” Obito beams brightly as he takes another bite, savoring it despite the slight bitter tang. “I am an Uchiha, after all. I fear no poisons.”</p><p>"If you're certain." Shingen shakes his head. Obito would always be his own man, he supposed. "In any case, I consider today to have been very fruitful."</p><p>“Fruitful, was it? And here I offered you only a single piece of information and advice.” Obito smirks into his bowl as he sips at the soup. So there it was… “Though I did have a chance to play with the tiger’s tail a little, but I fear I merely played the part of a little cub batting at it for his amusement.”</p><p>"You do seem to relish that role. I don't mind indulging your antics. They keep me young." Amusement colors his voice as Shingen shakes his head and turns to his own meal. Ah. The staff had outdone themselves this time.</p><p>“Oh you’re not so old, only twelve years my senior, by my count.” Obito’s warm laughter easily fills the space as he presses his hand forlornly to his heart. “But I know that there is another cub who holds the mighty tiger’s heart. Who attracts such looks of burning passion from the Lord Takeda that half of the maidservants and retainers swoon in their scintillating presence.”</p><p>Shingen lightly swats at Obito. The man certainly had a silver tongue. That much was for certain."You should try your hand at penning romance novels or poetry. If I didn't know better I might genuinely believe you were in love with me, but I'm quite happy with my current cub. I have sworn my loyalty to him after all and he brings great joy to me everyday. One day you will find your own moon."</p><p>Peals of bright laughter erupt from the young nobleman, eliciting stifled laughter from the maidservants. “Yes, perhaps one day I will. The one who will be my sun and moon and all of the stars in the sky.” Yes, perhaps Obito was a romantic, but he hadn’t been lying the other night at the pond. Above all other things, he did so wish for love. “A love that will endure ten thousand years.”</p><p>"Ten thousand years? Why not just say eternity my friend?" The other warrior smiles. His friend was a hopeless romantic, but that was one of the most charming things about Obito. "You'll find them. Just as I have found mine. The gods would not be so cruel as to hide your beloved away from you forever."</p><p>“Oh I do hope not. Forever is…quite a long time.” Obito sighs wistfully. Forever was…a very long time indeed.</p><hr/><p>How was that son of a bitch still alive? Kakashi suppresses a growl as the kitchen staff finishes cleaning up for the day. He'd placed enough poison in Obito's food to kill at least five men and yet, the youth had continued conversing with Shingen as if nothing was wrong long after he'd finished eating. It was maddening.</p><p>Sighing, Kakashi finishes washing the last of the dishes before slipping away. Sun had set long ago and he knew that as a member of the kitchen staff, he'd be expected to get up before sunrise tomorrow. After all, someone had to prepare breakfast and he didn't wish to blow his cover quite yet.  Maybe Obito was just immune to that type of poison? He could always try another tomorrow, Kakashi muses as he begins the journey towards the servants' quarters.</p><p>In the darkness of the evening, a hooded shape flits out into the darkness. His stride, for at the height it must have been a man, is light and quick as he passes the kitchens and descends the steps into the courtyard.</p><p>Kakashi follows the man on instinct. Anyone moving about that quickly in total darkness had no business being there.</p><p>The figure moves silently through the gates and beyond the confines of the estate. He looks up to the full moon overhead and smiles. Between the breaking of the clouds, it illuminates his path as he follows the road down the slope of a gentle hill before breaking from it and fleeing into a copse of trees protected from the moon’s light by green summer leaves.</p><p>Kakashi frowns. The figure moved with the grace of an assassin. That was for damn sure. Intrigued, he continues following the stranger. All the while making certain to stay out of his sight.</p><p>“Father, you came.” A soft, happy voice floats through the trees, much quieter than it had been when surrounded by people and laughter. The cloaked figure approaches another waiting concealed between two trees. And he lowers his hood, letting his loose raven hair spill out around his shoulders.</p><p>Kakashi strained his ears trying to pick up on every delicate syllable uttered by the man he had followed. It was so gentle that he almost failed to identify the speaker. Obito, but what was his father doing here?</p><p>"Of course, I came." Izuna offers his Childe a warm smile. Obito had always been a rambunctious one. It didn't matter that he was now a young adult vampire. He was as easily excited as a newborn more often than not. "I know that left to your own devices you'll grow bored and weary. Tell me, how have you fared?"</p><p>“Well enough, I suppose. Lord Takeda appreciates the information I give him, as well as the advice. But there’s been little to keep me entertained. Their affairs of war are…dull. Big men fighting over little nations when there’s still so much of the world to see.” Obito sighs dramatically. “Couldn’t you have sent me to the West, or to the Ming court? I know that Lord Madara wants revenge for my cousins in Iga, but I don’t feel invested enough in their fates to actively destroy Oda.”</p><p>Izuna shakes his head. Oh what was he going to do with his sweet Childe? He was so intelligent, but had the attention span of one of his beloved koi fishes. "Obito, they are family, no matter how distant. I know that these sorts of affairs bore you, but patience is one of the most important skills for our kind to master. Besides, when this is all over, I can arrange for you to travel anywhere your heart desires."</p><p>Kakashi's eyes widen in realization. It hadn't been intentional, but he had just stumbled upon a goldmine of information. Perhaps it was for the best that Obito hadn't died just yet.</p><p>“Well…maybe I could tolerate being here a little longer. Lord Takeda is a kind and entertaining host. Though I do so grieve that his heart belongs to another.” Obito smiles coyly. “But I’ve found someone else here that I’d like to get to know a little better.”</p><p>Izuna's eyes glimmer with amusement. He was aware that Obito had a high opinion of the tiger, but it was more bark than bite. "Yes, I rather like the man myself, but the stars did not smile on that union. Tell me who is this other person that managed to catch your eye?"</p><p>Obito laughs and whispers quietly in his father’s ear. Then he pulls away and heave another dramatic sigh. “But I fear that union isn’t meant to be either. No matter what I do, it seems I’m destined to spend eternity looking for love in all the places I won’t find it.”</p><p>"Oh, it's a little premature to say that. Love tends to find us when we least expect it." Izuna nods. What mischief had his Childe gotten himself up to this time? Whatever it was one thing was clear, they were being watched by a rather stealthy human.</p><p>Kakashi watches the spectacle unfold before him. Of all the things they could have chosen to speculate about...they had decided to fixate on Obito's love life. Perhaps the most useless topic they could have saddled him with. On the other hand, maybe he could use this to his advantage somehow. If Obito was really that much of a romantic he was likely easily distracted. That, and he favored men or at least the Tiger Lord.</p><p>“Is there any more information you’d like for me to pass on to Lord Takeda? He was understandably displeased with the nature of the information you sent before, but appreciates it and is working to act on it.” Obito smiles lazily and picks at the hem of his sleeve. “Or maybe you brought me a new kimono? My favorite got a little bloody when I fell into the pond the other night. It’s ruined.”</p><p>"Nothing of note, but I did bring you a few more kimonos. You've always been terribly clumsy. How ever did you manage to fall into a pond?" Izuna chuckles, knowing full well that such a thing hadn't been accidental. So, Oda had been at it again, huh? When was that irritating human going to learn that Uchiha were not that easy to kill?</p><p>A little bloody? Had Obito really fallen that hard? Kakashi frowns, something prickling at the back of his mind. It was all so strange. Why was Obito so cheerful about such a thing and why hadn't the poison worked?</p><p>“I was playing with the fish and thought that I saw a wolf cub wander into the estate.” Obito beams and eagerly takes the bundle of kimonos from his father. “I wanted to play with it, but then I fell into the pond and scared it off.”</p><p>"Wolf cubs are rather endearing creatures, but be careful. A wild animal is still a wild animal, Obito and you never know when its pack might be nearby." Izuna tilts his head. An assassin had been scared off by Obito falling into water? A little blood requiring a brand new kimono? There had to be more to the tale. His Childe was taunting the would-be assassin, it seemed.</p><p>Kakashi frowns. A wolf cub? For goodness sake, Obito was handling the kimonos like a delighted child. This was the man that Shingen considered to be a trusted adviser? And what sort of sorcery was this? Obito's father looked far more like his brother, far too young to be the father of a grown man.</p><p>Obito’s mouth curves into a sly grin. “Don’t worry, Father, I promise that I’ll be more careful with these ones.” After all, why should he keep spoiling such lovely work. It was such a pity that his favorite gold kimono had been ruined beyond repair. Though he supposed that it did clash rather terribly with his hair. “But I can’t promise that I won’t get into any more trouble.”</p><p>"Good. It would be most unbecoming of an Uchiha to make promises they have no intention of keeping." Izuna chuckles. Whatever was he going to do with this boy, honestly? "Let me know if you happen to see that wolf cub of yours again."</p><p>“I will.” Obito smiles softly and hugs the package of clothes tightly to his chest. “I’ll miss you, Father.”</p><p>"I'll miss you too." Izuna smiles, ruffling Obito's hair. "Try not to get into too much mischief while I'm gone."</p><p>Obito snickers as his father disappears into the darkness. “No promises.” Then he sighs and turns around. He looks up at the faint beams of moonlight streaming through the trees. One lights up his face like the moon itself as he smiles.</p><hr/><p>Soft light begins to shine through the window into Obito’s rooms. He’d always loved the light of the sun, even if it made part of him want to hide in the dark and go to sleep. But he supposed he’d never be without that part of himself. He did his best to sleep as ordinary people did, some nights with more success than others.</p><p>Dressed in his sleeping kimono, he sets aside his ink and paper and pulls back the blanket to smooth his futon. But before he can slip under the covers, a shadow on the other side of the paper screen catches his eye. “Who is it?”</p><p>"Aito. I was told to bring your breakfast to you Master Uchiha." Kakashi keeps his voice soft behind the door. Demure even. He needed to play the part of an attentive, sympathetic servant after all. His newly dyed black hair should disguise him well enough, but he couldn't afford to allow his mannerisms to give him away.</p><p>Aito…a beautiful name. Obito chuckles quietly to himself. “You may enter.” He slides under the covers and sits up, as if newly awoken, rather than completely without rest.</p><p>Kakashi smiled as he entered. It felt strange to have his hair now black as night instead of silver as smoke, but he'd get used to it. "I hope I didn't wake you, Master. Lord Shingen told me himself to bring you breakfast." He presents the tray to Obito. It was filled to the brim of hot, delicious smelling food and drink. "Would you care for me to fluff your pillows and grab your laundry while you eat?"</p><p>“That would be perfect, thank you.” Obito smiles graciously and places the legs of the standing tray on either side of his lap. “You’ve caught me at an awkward time, I’m afraid. I slept poorly last night and was about to go back to sleep. But I’m sure I’ll sleep more soundly with a full belly.”</p><p>"I've found that's always the case with me. A full belly does make it far easier to drift off." Kakashi smiles, getting behind Obito. He makes certain to do a good job fluffing the pillow as he slips a small pouch underneath it. Once Obito laid his head on it, the poison would spill out and he'd inhale it. He'd be dead in minutes at most. "Sweet dreams, Master." Kakashi bows his head politely at the other man as he moves away, collecting the discarded clothes. Of course, he allowed himself to do so a bit slower than he might have otherwise. If Obito was attracted to the Tiger Lord, well other men might not be out of the question.</p><p>Obito’s chopsticks move deftly as they retrieve rice and meat. The flavors dance along his tongue, this time with a slightly sweet taste. Ah…so this was him. His gaze travels to the man gathering his clothes and he allows himself the chance to properly take in his appearance. Dark hair pulled back into a topknot, a long, angled face, and dark, piercing eyes fit for observing the comings and goings of the room. “I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Are you new to Shingen’s employ?”</p><p>"No, Master. I've been here since I was a child. I just keep to myself most of the time." Kakashi throws some of the clothes into a bag. Well, if nothing else Obito had noticed him. Whether it was because of attraction or he just preferred to know who was serving him was difficult to tell.</p><p>“I see…” Obito toys with his food and takes another bite. “I had to keep to myself for a time when I was younger. I’d…taken ill and Father worried that I might get sicker if I were allowed to go outside. I was given many medicines because there were days that I felt like I was dying. It was…a very lonely time for me.” Then he smiles brightly. “I think you might like it if you spread your wings a little and try to make some friends.”</p><p>"I'm sorry. That must have been difficult for you. Children should be able to play with other children." Kakashi nods as he files this information away. How had the man who withstood poison so easily been a frail boy? It didn't make any sense. Had his sickness ended up making his constitution stronger in the long run? "And perhaps you're right. If everyone smiled as nicely as you do, I might feel a little more comfortable doing so. Most people barely notice me."</p><p>“Oh I’m sure that more people notice you than you think.” Obito smirks as he sips at his morning soup. The light, refreshing taste nearly masks the same sweet flavor hidden within. “Though I suppose that I’ve always been a hard one to ignore. I was a terror in the court as a child.”</p><p>"You do have a rather mischievous smile. I can easily imagine you causing your father no end of trouble if you put your mind to it." Kakashi chuckles. It was...subtle, but the man did appear to be flirting with him.</p><p>“Oh the stories he could tell of my childhood. I’m sure that he could have warlords laughing far and wide. From here in Kai to the halls of Oda himself.” Obito pours his soup and his meat into the half-eaten bowl of rice and begins eating almost hungrily. It had take a moment but he found that he rather liked the addition of the sweetness to the dish.</p><p>"I'd look forward to hearing them sometime if you don't mind sharing them." Kakashi smiles, keeping his eyes downcast. Reserved, but receptive was likely the best way to go about this. Obito seemed the sort that enjoyed giving chase in such affairs.</p><p>“Then how about this.” Obito claps his hands, the boyish grin blossoms once more on his face. “I’ll give you one story a night if you bring me dinner. We can take a walk to the pond and I’ll fill you so full with stories that you’ll leave this place after I’m gone and make your fortune telling them in lords’ halls and market squares.”</p><p>The smile was endearing enough that if Obito wasn't his target, Kakashi might have let himself be charmed. "That sounds wonderful. You're very kind, Master Uchiha."</p><p>Obito smiles and holds up his flat cup of sake. “Then I’ll see you tonight, and you’ll hear all about Obito Uchiha, the terror of the imperial court.” He takes a sip and smirks into his cup as he downs the wine and the poison. Ah…this wolf cub was going to be such fun to play with.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>celestia193's Author's Note: Wow, I think that this pairing might be one of our strongest competitors out of the gate. Thanks so much for the love you've shown these two here and in the reviews for A Gift From the Ancestors. I'm so happy that you're enjoying Obito and Kakashi's antics as they weave their way (very bumpily) towards a happily ever after.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Six months had passed since Kakashi had met Obito. In that time, the man had proven he had more lives than a cat. Despite multiple attempts to poison him and even arranging for Obito to fall off a cliff, his target was still stubbornly clinging to life. To add insult to injury, the nobleman he resumed his favorite hobby talking about his childhood.</p><p>It wasn't as though the stories weren't amusing, there was just something twisted about hearing the man he was planning to murder babble merrily about his childhood. At this point, Kakashi was reasonably confident he knew more about Obito's childhood than his own, but the stories appeared to be endless.</p><p>He was making it increasingly hard to summon the will to kill him. Kakashi was having a harder and harder time imagining the man before him as a threat to anyone. He was quite simply too happy and innocent. So, that was how he found himself walking alongside Obito as he had every day for months once more.</p><p>There was however one notable difference today. The weather had changed. Fall had finally given way to winter. If he played his cards carefully, he could utilize that to his advantage.</p><p>“You should have seen the look on Lord Hiroto’s face when I walked into the manor covered head to toe in dirt, twigs in my hair, holding up that cat as if he were a great beast I had captured.” Obito laughs merrily as he skips along the upper bank of the river. “I was…oh, I think I couldn’t have been more than seven or eight years old. I had begged Lord Madara to train me with a sword, but he said that I was so clumsy that I would be better off trying to catch cats. I told him that I could catch a cat, to just watch me try. So he promised that if I caught a cat, he’d teach me how to hold a sword.”</p><p>"Did you ever catch the cat?" Kakashi smiles at Obito. He'd learned to play the part of Aito to perfection. As far as he could tell Obito was mostly interested in companionship. Someone to exchange stories with. Most of Kakashi's he'd pulled out of thin air, but the Uchiha never questioned them.</p><p>“Of course I did, didn’t I just say that?” Obito sniffs and holds his nose in the air. “I’m an Uchiha, and that means I can do something as simple as catch a cat.” He side-eyes his companion and grins. “It scratched and yowled and got me all covered in mud, but I did it. I chased it through three courtyards, down two streets, over a hill, and into a ditch to catch it. And no matter how much it tried to escape, I managed to get it back to the house to show everyone. It was one of my proudest childhood moments.”</p><p>"That was quite the adventure. Cats are notoriously difficult to catch." Kakashi nods as his 'friend' continues on with the grand saga of how he caught a furious feline. No matter what he was talking about, Obito was always animated about it. He'd probably turn watching paint dry into an epic somehow. "And another fine story for me to tell the others. You are a man of your word."</p><p>“I was raised to be.” Obito’s expression softens as he looks up at the cloudy sky. “Integrity is…something held in high regard in my family. Probably because two of our branches view it as an integral part of what it means to be an Uchiha.”</p><p>"Integrity is a noble goal. I'm afraid that my family was more focused on survival than anything else." It had been true. Most of his family had been poor farmers until his father decided to become a ninja because it paid better. When he died...Kakashi had been forced to follow in his footsteps. "Lord Shingen was very kind to take a stray like me in."</p><p>“A stray like you, huh?” Obito stops for a moment and looks back at his companion. His eyes glitter softly, recognizing the truth in that word. Then he turns around and hops along the path as if trying to dodge cracks in the dirt. “You know…I was a stray too. Like that cat I caught.”</p><p>"How could the son of a noble lord be a stray?" Kakashi glances at Obito in genuine confusion. He had seen the way Izuna treated his companion. The warmth there was indisputable. Obito had called him father.</p><p>“…My birth parents have been dead for a very long time.” So long now that Obito barely remembered their faces. “Most of my life, actually. The last memory I have of them is from…probably that time with the cat. Okaa-chan took me into my room and wiped the dirt off my face and told me that I was a noble child, not a samurai like my cousins, and that I didn’t have to run around chasing cats just because Lord Madara told me to. It was…probably a month after that when her and Otou-chan got sick. Lord Izuna kept me away from there to protect me, but…well, I survived and they died. And I’ve been in Lord Izuna’s care ever since.”</p><p>"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories, Lord Obito." Kakashi didn't have to feign the apologetic look he was sending the other man's way. He knew all too well what it was like to lose a parent. "Lord Izuna has a good heart caring for you in such a fashion." He'd probably be heartbroken when Obito was dead, but that didn't change Kakashi's mission.</p><p>“He does. Though I wish I’d returned the favor back then.” Oh…Obito remembered well the little terror he’d been. “I acted more like a feral cat than a noble’s son. If there was trouble to get into, I got into it. I ran away thirteen times before I was fourteen years old.” He bends down to touch the cold, hard ground. “I would run away for a few days, sleep out on the streets or run to a brothel and hope they had an extra bed. And the last time I ran away…it was about this time of year. That…wasn’t the wisest decision on my part, but I wasn’t doing it to be wise.”</p><p>"I don't understand. Why did you run away?" Kakashi blinks. Just when he was starting to believe he understood Obito the man would go and surprise him.</p><p>“Because I didn’t fit in anymore.” It really wasn’t anything too complex, Obito was just…different. “My birth parents loved and accepted me, even if they scolded me for my bad behavior. Lord Izuna…he didn’t really know what to do with me. I wanted attention and he was often busy with clan business, so I felt like I didn’t have a place anymore. Like…my place had disappeared with my parents.” Obito looks down at his hands forlornly. “That was why I ran away the last few times. And why…the very last time…I nearly died. I was half frozen by the time Lord Izuna found me.”</p><p>"I see. I lost my father when I was young...I know it can set one adrift easily." There was such sorrow in Obito's eyes that Kakashi felt moved even though he no business being touched by the story. "He saved you. Is that when you grew closer?"</p><p>“Yeah, he…started to pay more attention to me. I guess you could say he smothered me a little.” Obito laughs softly. “Or he tried to. Lord Izuna is both a politician and a warrior, and they do not always make for the warmest fathers. His own son by blood turned out a warrior but I was always more of a mischief-maker. It was a learning experience for us both. Me, learning to cope with grief and loss. Him, learning to love and give frequent affection to a child who could not sit still, could not behave himself, and had the sense of adventure siphoned out of the rest of the clan and concentrated into a single person.”</p><p>"It sounds as though you were the each other's yin and yang. You both gave one another something the other lacked." Kakashi smiles, wondering if one day he'd ever have that with his own son. "That's heartwarming."</p><p>“Yeah, I suppose that’s one way of looking at it.” Obito sighs lightly and stretches his arms high above his head. “Do you have your yang yet, Aito? Someone who makes your heart sing to the heavens?”</p><p>"What makes you think that I'm a Yin?" As soon as the words fly out of his mouth, Kakashi wishes he could take that back. A servant wouldn't say that to a noble. They'd just accept the assertion.</p><p>Obito looks back over his shoulder and grins. “Because you have the dark, mysterious type about you. Whenever you come to serve me dinner, you keep to the corners, like you’re fleeing the light. And you’re always so reserved and quiet. But that might just be because I’m more excitable than you.”</p><p>"Forgive me for saying so my lord, but I don't believe there is anyone who is as easily excitable as yourself." Kakashi shakes his head, but he couldn't argue with the accuracy. "That was also surprisingly insightful of you." Perhaps he wasn't the only one who had been memorizing the other's patterns.</p><p>“Surprisingly insightful? Aito, you wound me!” Obito presses a hand to his heart and staggers back a few steps into the wet grass on the riverbank. “I’ll have you know that I’m much more intelligent than you think I am. I AM an Uchiha, after all.”</p><p>Kakashi tilts his head. Hmm. The river had iced over. The ice likely wouldn't be thick yet. If he could get Obito to walk along it far enough...maybe he'd drown. "Of course, My Lord. Perhaps you would care to demonstrate your intellectual prowess further?"</p><p>Obito raises an eyebrow as his lips twitch into a smirk. “Oh? And how would you propose that I demonstrate it? A game of wits? A recitation of poetry? A game of war? Theoretical, of course.”</p><p>"I propose we test our mathematical skills. The river has only just frozen over." Kakashi smiles a smirk was a promising sign. His pride would be the death of him. "Whoever can walk the furthest across the river without the ice cracking wins. It will be a test of our perception and as a bonus our bravery. Of course at the point the ice breaks, we'll simply step back. You do know how to swim, right, My Lord?"</p><p>The human wished to test his ability to survive walking across a frozen river? Very well, Obito would play. “I can swim well enough. Shall we put a wager on it?”</p><p>"I'm afraid I have nothing of value to wager."Kakashi tries his best to look crestfallen at that fact.</p><p>“Oh, I think you have plenty of value.” Obito smiles brightly. “If I win our game, I want to hear the story of your first love.”</p><p>"That sounds fair and is the reverse true? Will you tell me of your first love if I win?" Kakashi sends him a shy smile. Perfect. If Obito cared about Kakashi's romantic history enough to make that his request...then the other man might be falling for him. That would make this easier since he wouldn't succumb to poison like a polite, normal person.</p><p>Obito’s lips quirk slightly. “I think that I could indulge that.” Though what a request that would be. “Now, how would you like to begin?” Obito approaches the edge of the slightly frozen water cautiously. Not a great challenge, but…perhaps the human might have bitten off more than he could chew.</p><p>"Well, I shall allow you to go first. You may take as many steps as you wish until you stop and then it will be my first. We'll continue doing thus until one of us yields or the ice breaks." Kakashi beams feeling rather pleased by his own cunning. "Do you have any objections, My Lord?"</p><p>“None whatsoever.” Obito smirks and takes a cautious step onto the ice, then a second, a third, a fourth, stepping ten feet out over the eighty foot wide river. He looks over his shoulder with a grin. “Will you be joining me?</p><p>"Of course. It'd be terribly rude of me to leave you all alone." Kakashi quickly strides forward to stand one foot ahead of Obito.</p><p>Ah, so the human wanted to play it like that, did he? Obito smirks and takes two steps ahead. “This is quite the game you’ve dreamed up for us.”</p><p>"Thank you, My Lord. I do try." Kakashi takes another six steps. Obito's overconfidence would be his undoing.</p><p>Cocky bastard. Obito chuckles and saunters forward eight whole steps to stand nearly five feet in front of Kakashi. And under his feet, he begins to hear the ice creak ever so slightly. “Are you prepared to give up now, Aito? We’re quite a ways out now.”</p><p>"I'm not one to give up that easily." Kakashi takes two steps in front of Obito. He had heard the ice crack, but had the other man?</p><p>Oh Obito had certainly heard the ice crack, and he had heard it again beneath his companion’s feet. Too quiet for the human ear to pick up, and yet… “Are you sure that you don’t wish to turn back, Aito?” He steps forward with a light, cautious step to stand a single pace ahead. The man couldn’t possibly intend to see this to the death…could he?</p><p>"I'm sure. You're not frightened. Are you, My Lord?" Kakashi takes two steps forward.</p><p>Not for himself. Obito’s eyes narrow briefly, then glint with a touch of humor. “No. It’s been a long time since I feared imminent death.” He takes three steps forward and away from his rather determined companion. His heel digs into the ice and it cracks beneath him. He turns on the ball of his foot as the ice shatters and he grins. “Looks like you win.” His long dark hair billows behind him as he plunges through the ice and into the dark water below.</p><p>Kakashi's eyes widen as he instinctively reaches for Obito trying to pull him out of the water. "Obito!" Try as he might, the current was too strong. His hands were met with only icy water.</p><p>Beneath the ice, there is no sign of movement, no sign of a body. Only inky, swirling darkness underneath the cloudy gray sky. The cracks in the ice begin to spread like delicate spiderwebs across the mottled clear and white ice.</p><p>Kakashi stares for a few painful seconds before turning the other way to get away from the shattering ice. He'd done it. He'd finally done it. Obito was dead. So, why wasn't he happy? This was what he had waited months for...</p><p>The moments tick away and silence fills the air as seconds become minutes. With each passing breath…it becomes clear that Obito Uchiha is no more.</p><p>Until the sound of shattering ice, a splash, and a loud, gasping breath break the silence. “Gods, that water is COLD!”</p><p>"Oh Gods! Obito!" Kakashi tries to make his way to the other man. His every step is fast and light as he races over, offering him his hand.</p><p>The young man brushes his hair back from his face and grins brightly, even as he shivers from being soaked to the bone. “Well, that was exciting.” He reaches up to take the offered hand, his own fingers already ice cold. “But the next time we play a game with water, perhaps we should play it in the summer when you won’t risk freezing to death.”</p><p>Kakashi pulls him to safety. All the while internally cursing himself for feeling relieved. What was wrong with him. "R-Right. The summer would be better. Are you alright, My L-Lord?" Kakashi slides out of his coat wrapping it around Obito. "Come on. Let's get you back inside. You'll catch your death out here."</p><p>“Hm…if I catch Death, I wonder what Lord Madara will teach me this time.” Obito chuckles faintly. Who knew that his would-be assassin had a heart after all? “Maybe some time next to a brazier and some hot soup might help.”</p><p>Kakashi gives him a confused look for a moment. "Oh, I see. You're making a joke about Lord Madara. I guess you're going to be fine if you're already making tacky jokes." He scoops Obito up in his arms bridal style. "I apologize, but it's faster, My Lord. Let's get you your brazier and soup." Kakashi flits off with his nearly frozen cargo in his arms.</p><p>Obito’s eyes widen slightly as he’s cradled in the shinobi’s arms. Then, he laughs softly and rests his head against the man’s shoulder. How charmingly contradictory he was… “It’s perfectly alright.” He closes his eyes to listen to the strong, quick beat of Kakashi’s heart.</p><hr/><p>Obito stares at the ripples of heat rising from the heavy clay brazier. The warmth creeps into his skin and slowly dries his cold, soaking wet hair as it sits in a messy knot atop his head. The warmth was…nice. It reminded him of sitting in the sun and absorbing the heat from it.</p><p>His blanket falls around his hips as he pulls at the sleeves of his fresh, dry yukata and works them up his arms to spare them from catching fire on the coals. He rests his hands just above the rim of the brazier and sighs. “At least I didn’t drown.” That would have been…annoying.</p><p>"It was close. I never should have challenged you to such a silly game." Kakashi looks at him. The most galling part of it all was he didn't have to feign the guilt he knew was inscribed across his face.</p><p>Kakashi had been trying for months to kill someone who hadn't done him any wrong. A man who was so lighthearted he was a threat to no one. All for money, but there was no going back. Failure to kill Obito would only paint a target on his back and if Kakashi couldn't complete his mission, Oda would just keep hiring assassins until someone else could.</p><p>The young noble smiles forgivingly. “It’s alright. I’m sure that we can find other games to play. Safer ones. Then I’ll beat you fair and square.”</p><p>"Yes, safer ones." Kakashi nods, offering  Obito a bowl of hot soup. "Here. This will help warm you up further. I'm so sorry, Obito."</p><p>“Oh?” Obito snickers as he takes the soup bowl between his fingers. “What happened to all of that Master Uchiha and Lord Obito talk? Do you finally like me now?” He takes a sip of the soup and is almost surprised at the lack of poison in it.</p><p>Kakashi's eyes widen as he realizes his error. He shouldn't have addressed the such an informal fashion. It could blow his cover. Still, he could fix this. "Forgive me, Master Uchiha. I got caught up in the moment. I've always liked you, but generally fate doesn't smile upon any servants who neglect proper etiquette."</p><p>It wasn't a lie. While Shingen might run a more relaxed household than most, Kakashi had heard more than enough horror stories about the destinies that awaited those of more modest birth that got too close to the nobility. Seldom did such tales end happily and thus, it was a good cover for his slip of the tongue. Let Obito think he was a meek servant.</p><p>Obito’s gaze softens and he smiles into his bowl as he sips the soup slowly. How curious this human was. “It’s quite alright. I never did put much stock into status and lording it about. It’s one’s character that should be judged, not their status at birth.” He laughs…almost bitterly. “I’ve known many men who think quite differently.”</p><p>"Perhaps your way of thinking will catch on one day, but until then...it's wiser not to risk such things." Kakashi pauses glancing at Obito. He looked so happy for a man who had almost died that day. "I hope the soup is to your liking."</p><p>A much happier smile brightens Obito’s face. “I think it might be my favorite of all the soups you’ve made me.” It might not be the most flavorful or the most heavily spiced, but it was light and sweet and warm. “If you’d like to do away with the titles in private, I don’t mind, Aito.”</p><p>"Good. I'm glad you like it, Obito." Kakashi's smile and words were soft. Gentle even. The lord had confessed himself to be a romantic before, hadn't he? Perhaps it was time to try a more subtle approach. "I won't hold you to the wager as you nearly died because of my foolishness, but you asked me a question earlier. I believe you deserve an answer..."</p><p>“So now I get to hear the tale of Aito’s first love?” Obito sets the now empty bowl in his lap and watches his companion eagerly. “If losing games is what wins me wagers, perhaps I should lose more often.”</p><p>"Have you always been so cheeky, Obito?" Kakashi shakes his head in amusement. "No, I wouldn't want you to lose on purpose. That's not who you are, but still fair is fair." He toys with his still dark hair, making a show of being nervous. "You asked me if I had found my Yang. I think I have."</p><p>The little admission makes Obito’s still heart ache a little. “So you’ve found them…does that mean you’ve never been in love before?”</p><p>Kakashi brushes a strand of hair behind his ears while he stares at his feet. Almost afraid to look at the other man in the eyes. "Not exactly. I loved my family, but they're all gone now and that's different than the kind of love you spoke of. The kind of love where someone becomes your sun, moon, and stars is different than the ties that bind you to your kin."</p><p>So he remembered…even now all these months later. “Yes…it’s a different kind of love entirely.” Obito smiles softly and glances out through the crack between the screen door and its twin. “I remember a time when I was much younger…and I thought I was in love.”</p><p>"Was it with Lord Shingen? You wouldn't be the first to fall for our lord and the two of you appear close." Kakashi was playing with fire and he knew it, but at least it would openly raise the possibility Obito could be attracted to a man. He'd respond accordingly based off his reaction from there.</p><p>“No, not Shingen. Though I imagine if he was less focused on conquest…perhaps.” Obito sighs softly and places the bowl on the tatami. “Her name was…Rin. She was an herbalist’s assistant. Kind and gentle, and full of a passion and zest for life. And it was that passion that drew me in as if caught in a whirlpool.”</p><p>"What happened to her?" Obito was speaking in past tense and for some reason that made Kakashi feel far more uneasy than it should have. "She sounds lovely."</p><p>“She married.” Obito could read on Kakashi’s face that he expected a story of tragedy to equal his parents. “To someone more appropriate to her station. I…fought to have her accepted by my family, but there were…forces that kept us apart. So, she found love elsewhere and was doing her wifely duties of giving him an heir within a year.”</p><p>"I see. That's unfortunate for both of you." Such was the way of the world, Kakashi shakes his head at the thought. It was likely better this way. He would have felt even more guilty about taking a man away from his wife and child. Killing Obito would be difficult enough as it was.</p><p>“No, her life is full and happy and I won’t begrudge her that.” Obito wasn’t so petty, not anymore. “But I hope one day to be as happy as she is and have a family of my own.”</p><p>"Once again you prove yourself surprisingly insightful when the mood strikes you." Kakashi forces himself to smile. Obito would never get his wish at least not in this life. If Gods were kind, perhaps he would in the next. "That's very understanding of you and someday, maybe you'll find your own happiness."</p><p>“Hey! What do you mean surprisingly?” Obito grins and leaps from his bed to tackle his doubting companion to the floor. His half dried hair spills out of the leather tie and down over his shoulders to tickle the surprised face below him. “I’ll have you know that I’m incredibly insightful.”</p><p>"You have your moments, My Lord." Kakashi squirms underneath him, feigning embarrassment. "Now, can you get off of me?" In truth he wasn't flustered. Surprised yes, but not bashful. Still, he had a part to play.</p><p>“Why? You’re not really that embarrassed, are you?” With a grin on his face, Obito raises a challenging eyebrow. “You were so confident and cocky earlier, Aito. Are you going to turn into a little lamb over this?”</p><p>"Aren't you worried that someone might walk in on us and start assuming things?" Kakashi looks up at Obito. Pretending to be the bashful innocent was a blow to his pride, but seeing how happy his companion looked at their position made it almost worth it. "This position is rather suggestive."</p><p>“I’m not worried in the slightest.” That much was plainly the truth. Obito cared nothing for how people might see his antics. “I’m well known for my playful behavior and eccentricities. No one will think it out of the ordinary for me to be acting this way. In fact, they expect it.” Obito smirks. “If I went more than two days without getting into some sort of trouble or amusing encounter, they might start to believe something’s wrong with me.”</p><p>"I'll concede in your case that's a valid point." Kakashi tries to wiggle out of Obito's hold. It was half-hearted at best, but the other man didn't need to know that. Obito enjoyed games. He probably thought this was some sort of strange version of Hide and Seek for all Kakashi knew.</p><p>Obito’s eyes glimmer with warmth as he slowly releases the shinobi from his grip. He sits back on his haunches and grins. “You know, if you’re worried about appearances, you could always get me another bowl of your soup and listen to another of my stories.”</p><p>"Your stomach and stories are both endless." Kakashi chuckles in a sheepish way before darting off to obtain Obito's requested meal. "I'll be right back with the soup."</p><p>“And I’ll be waiting.” Obito smiles after the shinobi as he settles himself back into bed. How curious that one was… He looked forward to playing with him a bit longer.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>His stores of weapons and gunpowder destroyed, his brother defeated, and half his clan working against him. Was Heaven itself against him? He sought only to claim what was rightfully his, prove himself worthy of the Mandate of Heaven and unify Japan through divine right.</p><p>And yet, everything seemed to stand in his way. Takeda’s alliance with the Hojo and Imagawa. The interference of the imperial court. Dissension in his own family after he took up his father’s mantle only five years ago. And now…Nobuyuki…his own younger brother still sought to usurp him. Had he not learned from what happened to their family in Kiyosu? Why was it that the most disloyal to him were members of his own family? He could expect more respect from Takeda than his own younger brother!</p><p>Speaking of Takeda… “I know you’re listening. Enter before I lose my temper.”</p><p>"As you wish, Lord Oda." Kakashi strides into the room keeping his head bowed. The lord was intelligent, but in his mannerisms he couldn't be more different than the Tiger Lord. "My apologies for keeping you waiting. Shall we cut to the heart of the matter or exchange pleasantries?"</p><p>“Is Uchiha dead?” Oda had no time for pleasantries when he fought to keep his own family from betraying him and bringing ruin on the clan. “You’ve been with Takeda over a year, and still I’ve heard no news of the Uchiha mourning in the imperial court.”</p><p>"My deepest apologies for the slow pace of this assignment. I've tried poisoning him well over a hundred times, he's fallen into a river, over a cliff, and I've set in motion numerous other ways to kill him, but the man has more lives than a cat." It was annoying really. Every day that passed made it that much harder for Kakashi to imagine killing Obito. "Still, I have made more progress than the others. I've disguised myself as a servant there and have earned his friendship. I believe it's only a matter of time before a suitable opportunity presents itself."</p><p>How could a noble possibly survive being poisoned over a hundred times? “Are you sure that he ingested the poisons?”</p><p>"I'm certain of it. He appears immune to a wide variety of poisons." Kakashi frowns. It was one of the many things that struck him as odd about Obito. "It's not unheard of for some ninjas and even samurai to ingest small amounts of poisons to build up an immunity against them over time, but I've never heard of anyone being safe from so many." It was frustrating. Why couldn't Obito just die peacefully like a good boy? "I've tried every poison I can think of. Nothing works in that regard and as for the rest, he's damn lucky. He fell into a bush and somehow managed to pull himself out of a winter river without freezing to death."</p><p>Immune to poisons, to the cold, and to physical injury? He couldn’t… Oda frowns and considers the matter carefully. “You are from Koka Village, but are you familiar with the ninja clans of Iga?”</p><p>"Reasonably familiar. Why do you ask, My Lord?" Kakashi casts a confused look Oda's way. Why was a feeling of dread blossoming deep within his stomach?</p><p>“I’ve…employed members of his clan before.” Oda’s gaze darkens. “While suppressing the disloyal elements of my family I made use of a cadet branch of the Uchiha who have a residence in Iga. Ninja that are extremely well-versed in poisons and antidotes. It may be possible that he might have slipped himself antidotes to counter poisons. Or that he developed the immunities himself.”</p><p>"It would certainly explain a great deal." Kakashi frowns. Perhaps he'd underestimated Obito. "In any case, death by poison appears unlikely. So, I will just employ other methods."</p><p>“I’m listening.” Oda wanted this potential tie between the court and the Takeda severed before it caused him any more difficulties. “And it had better be good, or I will send someone else. This needs to be taken care of promptly.”</p><p>"He's a naive, romantic idealist. I have reason to believe he favors women and men alike." Kakashi feels his blood run cold as he carefully hides his emotions behind a neutral mask. If he didn't kill Obito, Oda would send someone else to do it. At least Kakashi could ensure a quick, relatively painless death if fortune smiled on him. The next assassin might not be as merciful. "He's already fond of my false identity. It should be a simple matter to seduce him and then kill him."</p><p>Yes, but such an approach could take weeks or months, and Oda only had so much patience. Still…this could work to his advantage in many ways. “Do you believe that you could seduce him away from Takeda? If he’s too busy to pass on information to Takeda, fewer of my supply caches will be rendered useless. Very well, you have more time. Just ensure that he dies before he has the chance to cause another incident. And if you can humiliate him and his clan in the process, I will not complain.”</p><p>"He's the easily distracted sort. So yes, I believe I can." Kakashi bows once more. Why did the words taste like poison on his tongue? "I shall do my best, My Lord."</p><p>“Good. Fail, and I’ll send someone who can finish what you cannot.” Oda waves the assassin away. He had affairs to see to that concerned him more than a childish court noble’s new bedmate.</p><p>"Yes, My Lord." Kakashi bites back a sigh of relief as leaves the aggressive nobleman behind. He'd succeeded in buying some time, but would it be enough?</p><hr/><p>Obito smiles lazily as he lounges in the soft grass below the outer walkway of his family home. The moon was beautiful tonight. Just like his little wolf cub.</p><p>A warm breeze tousles his hair, blowing  few strands across his face. At the first sound, he looks up and smiles at the figure standing above on the wooden floorboards. “Hello again, Father.”</p><p>"Obito, it gladdens my heart to see you're well. Come, tell me what news you've brought our Clan." Izuna wastes no time in jumping down to meet Obito. His grace enough to put any feline to shame.</p><p>“Takeda’s men have succeeded in frustrating Oda.” Obito grins widely with a mischievous light. “I can feel the warlord steaming from here. The man is not pleased with having his affairs tampered with while he deals with the unrest in his clan.”</p><p>"I can hardly fault him for that, but that is indeed excellent news." The vampire lord smiles, placing his hand on his Childe's shoulder. "It sounds as though your boredom has been alleviated as well."</p><p>“Yes, it has.” Obito could hardly remember the last time he’d had so much fun. “The wolf cub is proving even more entertaining now that he’s given up trying a hundred and one ways to poison me.”</p><p>"A hundred and one? He's certainly a persistent one." Izuna eyed the younger vampire with amusement and a touch of concern. "Perhaps it would be wiser to end this game. He might actually succeed in harming you if only by chance."</p><p>“But I rather like this game.” Obito liked it a lot, actually. “Besides, if I were really worried about his ability to kill me, he would have joined his friend in Lord Shingen’s pond. Thus far he’s caused a number of accidents, but nothing that did more than scratch me a little.”</p><p>"I'm not sure what that says about you that you're enjoying having an assassin try to kill you, but I suppose you've always been a rather unique child to say the least." Izuna chuckles. That boy had given him no end of trouble when he first arrived. Obito had a good heart, though.</p><p>“As I told him, I don’t fear death.” And for decades, Obito hadn’t needed to fear death. Ever since the day he…died. “And you love my uniqueness, it keeps you entertained as much as it does me.”</p><p>"Yes, you are many things, but dull isn't one of them." Izuna tilts his head watching his Childe curiously. Could it be? "You've grown fond of this one?"</p><p>“Maybe so.” Though Obito wouldn’t admit to any more. He didn’t want another…Rin incident. “Don’t worry I know better than to get too attached to a human again. I learned my lesson the first time.”</p><p>"The fact you felt it necessary to remind yourself of that tells me that you're already attached." Izuna sighs. Their family was a proud one and every Uchiha had a stubborn streak as wide as the sea. "Vampires aren't born. They're all turned. It's fully possible you may find your beloved is human when you first meet them. And not every love story has to end in tragedy."</p><p>“Aren’t you the one who just warned me to end the game before he kills me?” Obito looks up at his Sire sitting by his side. “One way or another, he’s going to die. Either I let him go and he’s killed for failing his mission, or I kill him in the heat of the moment when he finally decides to end this game with blood instead of fleeing. He’s already stabbed me in the heart once. The second time will be the last time.” And no matter how fond Obito was of the human…facts were facts. His shinobi was doomed.</p><p>"You've proven that you won't listen to reason. Perhaps you'll listen to your heart." Izuna smiles. Obito would never change. He was always so determined to take the most difficult path. "I did warn you, but you won't listen to rationality. You never have. If you're truly that fond of him...you should know as well as any in our Clan that there are two kinds of dead. The one where your corpse grows cold and is reduced to a pile of bones and the one where you live on. He doesn't necessarily have to fall into the former."</p><p>Obito grows quiet. He remembered that night. The look in the shinobi’s eyes when he saw Obito’s eyes was…pure terror. “Then when the time comes…will you turn him for me? Your blood is much more powerful than mine.” The difference between the blood of a vampire of five centuries and one of a century and a half was…not insignificant.</p><p>"If you decide you wish to turn him, I don't see why not. No one will question me if I decide to take another Childe." Izuna smiles, patting Obito's shoulder.</p><p>“Then I suppose it all depends on how he decides to play our game.” Obito smirks almost grimly. “What do you think his next tactic will be? He’s tried stabbing me, even if he won’t remember it. He’s tried poisoning me until he resorted to six different poisons in a single dish. And then he tried to throw me off a cliff and drown me in a river in winter.”</p><p>"He might try stabbing you again since he doesn't remember that encounter." Izuna nods. It would be an expected move. Logical even. Though there was another option. "I know not where his inclinations lie, but he might be willing to go so far as to seduce you."</p><p>“Yes…he did give me that impression the day he pulled me from the river.” Obito’s grin brightens again. “It would be a very shinobi tactic of him. Though I’ll admit that I’d rather run my fingers through his natural silver hair. It shines just like starlight…”</p><p>"It does sound beautiful, but also extremely noticeable. I can see why he'd dye it for a disguise." If he had done otherwise, Izuna would have been forced to write Kakashi off as a complete novice. "Assuming he did try such a tactic, do you know how you would respond?"</p><p>“I think I’d encourage him. I’ve gotten glimpses of him through the mask of politeness. He’s…serious, driven, confident, even cocky. And that just…” It spoke to Obito in so many ways. “I want to see him take off the mask and unleash the wolf I know is laying in wait.”</p><p>"Then I hope you enjoy your time with your pet. In the ideal scenario, I may end up getting another child out of this and in the worst, Oda will be most displeased when another of his plots is foiled." Izuna gestures towards the entrance of their family's estate. "Now come, My Childe. Have a drink with me. We've imported some rather delicious bloodwine."</p><p>“Ah, that’s right, you did say in your last letter that you were expecting some shipments from the West.” It was a place that Obito was quite interested in visiting. “I’d love to try some. I do have some time while my assassin is away reporting to Oda. He may think I didn’t notice him slip away, but he doesn’t give me nearly enough credit for my observational skills.”</p><p>"He wouldn't be the first to make that mistake, but I'm sure you'll use it to your advantage."Izuna chuckles leading Obito inside. "And yes, the West is rather fascinating, but I must say there is no place like home."</p><p>That’s true there was no place like home. Obito’s eyes gleam with a vermilion hue and his fangs poke eagerly past his lips. “Wherever you are is my home.”</p><p>"I'm glad to hear it. I wish you luck with your wolf cub." Izuna smiles in return, his own fangs on full display.</p><p>Obito smirks darkly. “We’ll see about that.” He would have to see if he could raise his cub into a grown hunter.</p><hr/><p>“Hi there Kazuki.” Obito smiles at the tiny, bushy-tailed squirrel sitting on a rock not five feet from him. “How is your foraging faring?”</p><p>The little squirrel chitters excitedly, though not quite loud enough to mask the sound of quiet footsteps approaching the young noble from behind.</p><p>Obito smirks, but keeps his attention on the squirrel. “Oh yes, I see. It’s very smart of you to hide your food in the knots of the sakura tree. I doubt anyone will find your seeds and berries there.”</p><p>"He learned from the best. He hoards food almost as well as you." Kakashi chuckles. He had come to expect these sorts of antics from Obito.</p><p>“Aito! You’re back!” Obito breams brightly then after a moment, he frowns. “Wait, what do you mean he hoards food almost as well as me?”</p><p>"I'd still have to give you the edge in food hoarding prowess." Kakashi smiles at Obito closing the distance between them with ease. "Or did you really think I would fail to notice all the snacks in your room?"</p><p>Obito pouts like a little child, mockingly upset at being caught. “Is it now a capital offense to enjoy good food? Will you be hauling me back to court to await whatever terrible fate there is for snack hoarders?”</p><p>"Fortunately for you, it isn't a capital offense." Kakashi laughs, his eyes scanning their surroundings before enveloping Obito in a ginger hug. "I have missed you. Hoarding tendencies and all."</p><p>Dark eyes widen slightly as strong arms wrap around him from behind. That was…not something Obito had expected. He’d been prepared for teasing, for playful or half serious admonishment exasperation, even outright seduction. But this was… “I missed you too, Aito.” Obito smiles softly and places his hands on his assassin’s arms where they curl around his shoulders.</p><p>"For a man that almost drowned in a frozen river...you're so warm." Kakashi smiles, resting his head against Obito's shoulder. "It feels as though I've been away for a thousand years."</p><p>“First, you’ve only been gone for a month. Second, you do realize that winter was months ago, right?” Obito laughs and leans back against the shinobi with a surprising ease. “I get much warmer when I sit out in the sun all day.”</p><p>"I suppose when in the presence of the Sun...time ceases to have any real meaning." Kakashi allows the embrace to linger. He'd told Oda he was going to seduce Obito and he meant it. It would have to be a natural progression, though. He'd worked too hard at playing the meek servant to change course abruptly. "I hope you've been well in my absence."</p><p>“I have. I went home to spend time in Kyoto with Father.” And going home was always enjoyable, even if he exasperated his Sire to no end. Obito laughs lightly. “He delights in teasing me whenever I go home.”</p><p>"I'm sure you give him ample subjects to tease you about, but I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Kakashi smiles finally pulling away from the embrace.</p><p>“Well, if I don’t, then he’ll come up with topics to tease me about all on his own.” Obito grins, despite missing the warmth of the human’s embrace. “Best to give him material that I control, rather than whatever comes up in his imagination.”</p><p>"Very clever of you." Kakashi brushes some hair behind his ear. "I'm starting to think you only like to play the part of a carefree child. You might actually be wise underneath all your antics."</p><p>“You’re only starting to?” Obito’s lips twitch and his eyes glimmer with a mischievous light. “Then you must be even more blind than I thought.”</p><p>Kakashi huffs, knowing it was undignified but not bothering to fight the action. "What makes you think that?"</p><p>“Oh just a few little things here and there.” Obito rises from the grass and brushes loose blades from his red hakama. “But I suppose that the only things a cook needs to pay attention to are the spices in the food.” Obito shoots the shinobi a grin with a twinkle in his eye.</p><p>"Would you care to elaborate?" Kakashi raises an eyebrow. What was Obito going on about? His observational skills were exceptional. If they weren't, he'd already be dead in his line of work.</p><p>“Well now, if I told you then you would lose the chance to figure out what you’re missing by yourself.” And what would be the point in that? Obito enjoyed watching the ninja squirm. “And then the game would be over too quickly.”</p><p>"That's not fighting very fair, My Lord." Two could play that game. Kakashi would use his proper title just to gauge Obito's reaction.</p><p>Obito’s gaze glimmers with amusement as he puts his hands into his sleeves. “I never said that the point was to fight fairly, Aito. I’m not a samurai.”</p><p>"Then how would you classify yourself?" Kakashi tilts his head curiously. Oda had raised the possibility that Obito might be a ninja or at least have been trained by some.</p><p>“Ah…that’s a good question.” And one that even Obito didn’t entirely know the answer to. “I would say that I’m classified as…an Uchiha, trained in a great many skills and taught of the existence of even more. Which ones I choose to learn and apply are entirely up to me.”</p><p>"That was quite the verbose response that told me absolutely nothing." Kakashi chuckles as he closes the distance between them. "Who knew that you could be so secretive?"</p><p>“And how much do you think you really know about me, Aito?” Obito’s lips curve slyly. “I’ve told you plenty about my childhood. I’ve told you nothing of my adulthood.”</p><p>"That's true. I could inscribe a dozen or more novels about your childhood." Kakashi shakes his head as he wraps his arms around Obito's neck. "You've told me precious little about your more recent past. Only of your Rin."</p><p>“I do like to remain a mystery.” Obito’s gaze flicks momentarily to his assassin’s lips, then his mouth twitches back into a grin. “You’re very forward for a servant who allegedly keeps mostly to themselves.”</p><p>"You can ask any of the other servants or even nobles. You're the one that I spend the vast majority of my time with outside of the kitchen." It was the truth. Kakashi had ensured as much. Obito was his primary concern. He could never forget the mission. No matter how much he might want to. "I care more for you than I should, but you don't seem to mind."</p><p>“How loyal you are.” Obito runs his thumb over the shinobi’s cheek. “So determined to carry out your duties to their fullest. Tell me, when was the last time you did something for yourself?”</p><p>"Now actually." Kakashi smiles, brushing his lips against the Obito's in a gentle invitation to a kiss. "I've wanted to do that for so long."</p><p>“I see.” Obito’s hands fall from his sleeves and drift down to settle on the narrow hips so tantalizingly close… The warmth of the human’s breath on his lips was as delightful as sitting in the sun. “I think I like it when you do things for yourself. You seem much…happier.”</p><p>"Then why don't we be happier...together?" The weight of Obito's hands on his hips was an encouraging sign. It was all the acceptances Kakashi needed to deepen the kiss.</p><p>Ah, now there was the kiss Obito was expecting. He had no interest in a shy servant. He’d tried those before and found himself…disappointed. Not for lack of good selection, but simply…a lack of passion. He squeezes those hips and presses closer as his lips part and his tongue reaches out to tease his shinobi’s.</p><p>Kakashi smiles into the kiss, running his fingers through Obito's raven hair. It was so much softer than it looked. The feeling of the other man's lips on his own was exquisite and the way Obito moved his tongue elicits a quiet moan from him. This might very well end up being the most enjoyable seduction he'd carried out yet.</p><p>Obito’s eyes slide shut and he smirks against the assassin’s lips. He trails kisses away from those pale lips and along the chiseled jaw towards the soft, vulnerable little earlobe. “I know that you’re just pretending to be docile. I can taste the fire on your tongue.”</p><p>Kakashi sighs in pleasure. "Perhaps a little. I thought you might prefer a more gentle companion. Do you prefer to play with fire, Obito?" The man certainly knew how to kiss. It was almost a shame that Kakashi had to kill him.</p><p>“And here I thought you said you’d been listening to my stories.” Obito tilts his head back and his eyes glimmer with humor. “I’ve played with fire all my life. What’s the point if there’s no excitement?”</p><p>"I have. Usually, someone who is so spirited is attracted to calmer harbors." Kakashi smiles, taking Obito's hand in his own and kisses the back of it. "I should have known the reverse was true. You have a habit of violating every expectation, but if it's excitement you crave...come with me." He starts pulling Obito after him, guiding the other man back to nobleman's chambers.</p><p>“Now that’s more like it.” Obito’s eyes glimmer excitedly as they approach the familiar sliding doors of his room. “Fuck calm harbors, give me a raging storm with thunder and lightning any day.”</p><p>"I understand more and more why Lord Izuna had his hands full with you." Kakashi smiles as he locks the door behind them. He wastes no time in pushing Obito against the wall and capturing his lips in a far more heated, possessive kiss.</p><p>Obito laughs into the kiss and runs his fingers through the infuriatingly black hair as he pulls it out of the small knot at the back of his shinobi’s head. He wished so that it was still silver. “I don’t think you have any idea how much trouble I can really be.” His fingers curl tightly into the dark locks and he breaks from the kiss to lean down and brush aside the man’s collar to sink his teeth lightly into soft, smooth skin.</p><p>Kakashi gasps when Obito bites him, though not from pain. It was unexpected, but exciting. He feels his heart race and desire spiral through his veins as he watches Obito with lidded eyes. His voice far more husky than he would have liked. "Why don't you show me just how much trouble you can be, My Lord?"</p><p>“My pleasure.” Obito’s eyes almost seem to glow with anticipation. His shinobi was ready to play after all.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>celestia193's Author's Note: Does anyone else think that Kakashi is in way over his head, or is it just me?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Obito pulls Kakashi by the collar and drags him down to the floor into the mess of futon and blankets that he could never seem to keep in order. His kimono rumples without him caring in the least, for he was far more focused on opening the simple blue garment that his shinobi wore. With one hand, he pulls on the obi binding the yukata and it loosens to steadily reveal more skin as he pulls one sleeve down Kakashi’s shoulder. “Oh dear, I think I’ve made a mess of your clothes.”</p><p>"You remind me of a child unwrapping a gift."  Kakashi laughs as Obito begins to undress him. His own hands reaching for his companion's sash with an eagerness that shocks him. "Though I can't say that I'm not enjoying my own gift. All that time swimming with your koi fish has done wonders for your body." He smiles, gliding his hands along the exposed portions of Obito's chest. He might be a nobleman, but he had the body of a warrior.</p><p>“You think so?” Obito looks almost curiously down at his own body, then up with a cheeky grin. “But all I do is sneak snacks and laze around playing with the fish.”</p><p>"I know so." Kakashi pushes Obito to the ground, straddling his hips. His hand finding Obito's, pinning them above his nobleman's head as he kisses him again. He may as well enjoy it while it last. Each kiss was like a pearl that he knew he'd have to return to the ocean soon enough. Still, his free hand makes itself busy as he yanks off Obito's clothes with a ruthless efficiency.</p><p>Obito pants softly into the kisses and pretends to struggle against Kakashi’s grip. Not that the shinobi wasn’t strong, but…he would be stronger eventually. Obito’s kimono spreads out around his shoulders and hips as if presenting a sensual feast to a lover. “Impatient, aren’t you?”</p><p>"Impatient? I've waited months for this." Somehow Kakashi manages to disrobe completely with only one hand as he keeps Obito pinned. "Besides, weren't you the one that said you enjoyed playing with fire?" He releases Obito's hands, leaving a trail of kisses along the pale column of his would-be lover's throat. "If you're scared, you might want to run now."</p><p>“I won’t run.” Obito was proud, yes, but he had no reason to run. He never had to run again. Not unless he wanted to. “I’m not scared.” He slips his legs out from underneath Kakashi and raises them up to clamp them around Kakashi’s hips. “Are you?”</p><p>"No, I'm not scared." Kakashi hands continue a southern descent before wrapping around Obito's arousal. "Tell me what you like. I want to know everything."</p><p>Ah…if only there was time now to tell Kakashi everything that he liked. But there would be time later. “I like your hand on my cock.” Obito reaches for the shinobi’s free hand. “I’d like your fingers in my mouth even more.”</p><p>Kakashi was far from an innocent, but he finds his cheeks heating up all the same. "Then that's precisely what you shall have." He smiles and slides his fingers between Obito's lips. "I'll confess a fondness for when you engage in such vulgar language."</p><p>Obito chuckles as his tongue works around Kakashi’s fingers. He stares up with an almost feverish light in his eyes and his skin glows as if touched by moonlight.</p><p>"You're in danger of being labeled a tease, My Lord." Kakashi chuckles watching Obito in fascination. The desire in his dark irises was breathtaking.</p><p>The young noble releases the slick fingers from his mouth with a teasing nip. “Only in danger? I thought that was an established fact.”</p><p>"Mmm I think you'll need to work a bit harder on establishing such things." Kakashi laughs softly, mirth dancing in his eyes as he makes his way downward, taking the tip of Obito's arousal into his mouth. "Let me show you how to be a proper tease."</p><p>Onyx eyes flare with desire and a profound…wanting as Obito watches the dangerous shinobi start taking his cock into that wicked mouth. His fingers wind mercilessly into that spiky dark hair. “Then show me. Teach me.”</p><p>Kakashi lavishes Obito with his tongue, lips, and even grazes the sensitive skin ever so lightly with his teeth. Alternating between this erotic torture and a merciful sucking.</p><p>Hard panting begins to leave Obito’s lips as he presses the shinobi’s head further down along his turgid length. “I knew you had more in you than the meek servant act. Gods above…”</p><p>Kakashi smirks, humming lightly around Obito's cock. Knowing the subtle vibrations would likely send him over the edge as he takes more of the other man into his mouth. The sounds of Obito's wanton pants were music to his ears.</p><p>Obito spreads his legs a little wider as the fire builds within him. The human was good, he would admit that. And- Oh… “Yes…” He thrusts up into that wicked mouth and smirks in his own right when he hears the ninja choke a little. “Oh yes…” A gentle wave of pleasure washes through him and causes an equally gentle climax. But he knew that the true pleasure was yet to come. “Prepare me, do it quickly.”</p><p>Kakashi blinks. He wouldn't have thought Obito would be the more accommodating lover. Still, he wasn't one to argue when fate smiled upon him. "Get on your hands and knees then."</p><p>“Such a charmer.” Obito snickers as he slowly rolls over and hikes up the silk kimono still hanging from his wrists. He bends over with a sly grin and drapes the colorful fabric across the pale and perfectly smooth skin of his back. “Do you like what you see?”</p><p>"I do very much." Kakashi smiles as he presses his slick fingers to Obito’s entrance. "Now, try to relax. I promise to take good care of my little troublemaker." He chuckles and slides a singer finger inside him as he strokes Obito with the other hand.</p><p>Obito’s back bends like a taut bow as he groans and presses back to force the fingers deeper. “I don’t want to relax, I’d like for you to hurry up and fuck me through the floor.”</p><p>"So vulgar. I like it." Kakashi chuckles as he adds two more fingers, moving them faster to stretch his soon to be lover. "Now who is the impatient one?"</p><p>“Have you learned nothing about me?” Obito glances back over his shoulder with a vicious gleam in his eyes. “I’ve always been impatient.”</p><p>"Mmm that's true." He chuckles removing his fingers and replacing them with something far bigger. "Well, who am I to leave my lord wanting."  He groans in pleasure. Obito was so tight. It was as if the other man was created just for him.</p><p>Obito gasps at the sheer pressure of how tightly Kakashi fit inside him. He’d had lovers without number, and yet… “Nngh…yes…” He presses his forehead to the soft futon and groans softly. He had to have him. Kakashi would be his. “Please, Kakashi, fuck me already!”</p><p>Kakashi pants, feeling the desire cascade through him as he slams into lustful lover faster and harder. "You feel so fucking incredible."</p><p>As pale fingers curl into the futon, a wild grin appears on Obito’s face. He doesn’t look back, for he could feel his eyes burning and his fangs growing long as he lusted for his lover’s blood. But he would resist, for now was not the time. “Harder!” He could feel the blood pounding through his veins, a sensation he got now only from the best sex.</p><p>"Fuck!" Kakashi groans as he withdraws and follows the growing volume of Obito’s moans to bury himself in his lover's sweet spot again and again. His entire world was reduced to the carnal sensations Obito was conjuring within him.</p><p>Obito rolls his hips back into the ninja’s thrusts and his muscles contract every few second, knowing how to bring his lover to orgasm with him as his blood burns with liquid fire. “Kakashi!”</p><p>It didn't take long for the ecstasy to overwhelm him. Kakashi couldn't have held back if he tried, but he didn't want to. He could swear he saw stars as he reaches his climax. "Obito!"</p><p>Trembles wrack Obito’s body both from surprise and from pleasure. Kakashi’s touch was addictive and warm, passionate in a manner befitting one so short-lived. “Kakashi…” He sinks down against the futon, more sated than he’s been in a long time. It was rather funny, actually. But he was still not yet sated. “Again.” He bucks back against the shinobi and reaches back to the hands still firmly gripping his hips. “I want more of you.”</p><p>"As you wish." Kakashi smirks. It was going to be a long and enjoyable night. He'd worry about reality in the morning.</p><hr/><p>By the time morning dawns, Kakashi frowns and watches his sleeping lover. His expression one of grim resolution as he caresses Obito's face. "You just had to go and make this harder by being so beautiful."</p><p>He looked inhumanly beautiful...laying there and dreaming with a smile on his face after their night together. And how was Kakashi going to reward him? By driving a dagger through his heart... "I'm sorry, Obito. If I didn't do it, someone else would have. He'll never give up." Oda wanted the other man dead too much. He'd send throngs of assassins after the sleeping Uchiha if Kakashi didn't manage it. "I'll make it quick. Almost painless. You won't even realize what happened. Maybe the afterlife will be kinder to you than this existence. Perhaps you'll be reincarnated as one of your beloved koi fish."</p><p>Kakashi could swear his own heart had stopped beating as he raised the dagger above his sleeping lover. He slams it straight into his heart to grant him an instant death. Sadly, that and a beautiful night together was all that Kakashi could offer him. "Goodbye."</p><p>The dagger sinks to the hilt in the noble’s pale chest. The once steady breathing stutters and a pained gasp escapes Obito’s lips. He takes a few heaving breaths, his eyes still closed. Then slowly, they become less and less. Blood beads his skin and dribbles from the wound onto the soft futon beneath as his chest stills.</p><p>"I'm sorry." Kakashi presses a gentle kiss against his lips. "It had to be done. I hope you find peace..." Obito deserved it.</p><p>Dark eyes flash open and a strong hand wraps around Kakashi’s throat. The ninja lands on his back against the futon under the gaze of two amused vermilion eyes. “You know, that’s the second time you’ve stabbed me in the heart.”</p><p>"O-Obito? You're alive?" Kakashi's eyes widen in shock. He couldn't be alive. That was a direct hit to the heart. There was no coming back from that, but when he looks into his lover's eyes panic truly takes over. They were red. Those were the eyes of a demon.</p><p>“Don’t scream.” Obito chuckles at the panic in the human’s eyes. “Don’t alert anyone to our location or try to communicate with anyone outside this room.”</p><p>"Then I'll just run." Kakashi wasn't sure why he wasn't screaming. There was something hypnotic about Obito's words. As much as he wanted to cry out for help, he knew he couldn't. His best chance of survival was to free himself from Obito's grasp and run. Oda had sent him after a demon. One who couldn't be killed. "Let go of me."</p><p>“And where exactly do you think you’ll run to, Kakashi?” Obito wasn’t going to let his shinobi go so easily. “Back to Koka? You’ll be killed if you go back. You certainly can’t go back to Oda. He’ll kill you for failing your mission and knowing too much. You can’t stay here either. If Takeda found out about your treachery, he’d kill you himself.”</p><p>Kakashi stares at Obito in horror. "You knew the whole time. Wait. What did you mean by this was the second time I stabbed you in the heart?" It was only the first. His other attempts had been more...subtle.</p><p>“Of course I knew the whole time. I know the taste of poison in my food and drink.” Obito’s red eyes low brightly. “Here, I’ll even let you remember our first encounter. I made you forget because I didn’t want you to flee. I wanted someone to play with and you were so much more interesting than the last one.”</p><p>"You...how?" Kakashi's heart feels ready to burst with pure terror. Obito had survived two direct hits to the heart, was a casual murderer, and possessed demonic eyes. He'd done something to his memory. "What are you.."</p><p>“In the West, where this power comes from, they call us many names. The one we like most is…vampire.” Obito moves his grip to keep one of Kakashi’s arms pinned down effortlessly. “It’s the gift of strength, of speed, of every sense enhanced beyond the ordinary. It is also the gift of eternal youth.”</p><p>"Vampire?" Kakashi thrashes against Obito as he tries to free himself. "It's no wonder they couldn't kill you. You're not human."</p><p>“Not anymore. But when I was a few years younger than you…I was.” Obito takes the dagger from his chest, spilling his blood onto Kakashi's skin as the laceration closes all by itself. Then he takes Kakashi’s hand and places it over his heart. “Now I am something very different. I am…more than I was before.”</p><p>Kakashi couldn't take his eyes away. He'd stabbed Obito, but he was fine. It couldn't be possible. It shouldn't be and yet it was. "And you're...not angry that I tried to kill you?" Many times.</p><p>“No, it amused me. You were much more brash than the others, more determined. I wanted to see how far you would go to kill someone whose heart no longer beats.” Truly, it was very entertaining to watch the human try everything he could think of to kill Obito…and fail. “There’s very few ways to kill someone who has been dead for as long as I have.”</p><p>"You don't look...dead to me." Kakashi paled. The vampire actually thought it was funny when someone tried to kill him?</p><p>Obito smiles and entwines his fingers with Kakashi’s. “Feel it for yourself. My heart won’t beat.”</p><p>"I don't feel anything." Kakashi waits for several minutes, but there was nothing. not even a single thump. Obito really was dead. He really was a vampire. "So, you had your fun..."</p><p>“I’ve had some fun, but I’d rather that not end. I’ve grown fond of you, despite your repeated attempts to kill me. So, I’ll be taking you home with me to my family. After all, leaving you here would just ensure that you die, one way or another.” And Obito couldn’t have that. He couldn’t let this sort of determination and passion die out. And he couldn’t leave Kakashi at the mercy of a pair of warlords and a village of ninja either.</p><p>"Not necessarily. I could just run and never come back..." Obito was insane. He thought Kakashi trying to kill him was some sort of game. "I promise."</p><p>“Then run away with me.” Obito wasn’t going to let go nearly so easily. “I can give you safety, money, a home. Just come to Kyoto with me. I won’t have you wasting your life when there will never be another one like you.”</p><p>"Obito, I'm not a vampire. I'll grow old and die." Kakashi didn't understand exactly what Obito was, but he knew enough to realize such a relationship was doomed from the start. "I'll grow old and you'll become bored of me. Is the rest of your family...like you?"</p><p>“Some of them, but not all. Vampires aren’t born. We’re made. And don’t worry, Kakashi.” Obito smiles gently, warmly, as though the human in his arms was the most precious thing in the world. “You won’t grow old and die. You’ll never die, because you’ll have me to protect you.”</p><p>Kakashi had never been more confused in his entire life. Not only was Obito not angry with him for repeated assassination attempts, he seemed to be...proposing? "How are vampires made...?"</p><p>“With a little blood and a night in the bedchambers of an ancient vampire.” Obito grins brightly. “Now sleep. We’ll be in Kyoto when you wake.”</p><p>"Obito, there are a million reasons why this is not a wise id-" Kakashi never got to finish his sentence because suddenly he was overcome with the need to sleep. His body sags against Obito as he drifts off.</p><p>“Good night, Kakashi.” Obito reaches for his lover’s yukata and wraps him in it, then reaches for his kimono. He had a few affairs to take care of before they left. After all, he couldn’t very well have Shingen miss him too much.</p><hr/><p>When the moon reaches its peak, Obito strides into his family estate with his traveling cloak pulled tightly around his shoulders. It was a gift from his Sire, something bought from Western merchants. It was dark, but thick and warm. And it easily made up for his body no longer producing its own heat.</p><p>Expansive gardens stretch out around the front off the large manor house. It was one of three estates here in the city, and served as the primary residence for Lord Izuna Uchiha and his children. Hiroto, Kagami, and Obito. Another of the estates belonged to Lord Madara and his children, Obito’s cousins from Iga. And the last of the three estates belonged to the human branch of their family, whom it was decided should stay separate from the vampiric branches for their own safety.</p><p>He reaches the front doors without incident and removes his shoes within the outer porch. He carefully rests his burden on the ground and opens the bundled cloak to reveal the still sleeping face of his human lover. The compulsion had worked perfectly and Kakashi hadn’t awoken even once on their way from Kai.</p><p>Then, Obito senses the approach of a familiar aura. “Good evening, Father.” He looks up with a smile. “It’s good to see you again.”</p><p>"And you as well." Izuna smiles at his Childe, glancing curiously at the sleeping human. "Is that the wolf cub that I've heard so much about? I've always preferred the company of women, but if I were inclined towards men...I could understand the appeal." Izuna's eyes trail over the bundle on the ground. He knew his Childe well enough to know that Obito wouldn't have brought him here for no reason. Their family's secret was one of the things that tied them all together. "You do realize that now that you've brought him here...the options are rather limited."</p><p>“I know, I want him.” Obito had come here with only one option in mind. “I told him the truth about me before bringing him here. He…resisted a little, as it is human nature to do. But I won’t have him killed by Takeda or Oda or his own people for failing to murder me.”</p><p>Izuna smiles sadly at his Childe. As much as it was his nature to indulge the boy, Obito needed to realize the path ahead of him wouldn't be easy. "Obito, I know you're fond of him, but if he doesn't wish to become a vampire...your love affair with him may not end happily. Are you willing to risk his fury for his physical safety? I understand the threat Takeda and Oda would pose to him, but...there are those who are not suited to exist as we do."</p><p>“He’s a shinobi, he’s used to living in the darkness.” Obito runs his fingers through the dark hair that was just beginning to show roots of silver. “And if you will send Hiroto to Lord Takeda in my place, then I will stay here and look after him. If he is angry, then I will take his fury and turn it into the will to survive. I will teach him how to live like we do, how to thrive like we do…even how to love like we do.”</p><p>"If this is what you truly want, I will indulge you. I hope you do not regret this decision." Izuna's smile was full of caution, but it was still present. "I think that would be best. Yes, I'll speak to Hiroto about the matter. You will of course take on the lion’s share of responsibility for him as this was your request. Naturally, I will look after him as well as a Sire should."</p><p>“Of course, I accept.” Obito had known what would be asked of him and had prepared himself for it the entire journey home. “I’ll prepare a room for him next to mine and see that some bloodwine is prepared for him when he wakes. And tonight I’ll visit the servants and feed to replenish myself for when he’ll need additional blood.”</p><p>"Excellent. I'm pleased you've demonstrated some degree of foresight in this regard." Izuna smiles fondly at the human as he picks Kakashi up in his arms. "I shall take good care of your wolf cub. I just hope he's up for the task of keeping up with the likes of you. You've always been a wild one."</p><p>“Me too.” Obito smiles crookedly. “Though he kept up well enough for a human when I allowed him to have his way with me a few nights past.”</p><p>Izuna smirks. "I'll admit that is impressive. I will have you summoned when I've finished Siring him. As you know, it is a delicate process."</p><p>“I know.” True, it had been over a hundred years since his own turning, but Obito remembered that night like it was yesterday. The night that Izuna had taken him into lavish bedchambers and held him in strong, steady arms as the blood was slowly drained from his body. It was at once terrifying and euphoric. And to this day Obito hadn’t experienced anything remotely like it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>celestia193's Author's Note: Kakashi plots escape and Obito plots how to get into Kakashi's pants again.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Blackness. Kakashi opens his eyes to nearly complete darkness and yet somehow he was still able to see every detail of the elegant woodwork of the walls and each crease in his luxurious blankets. His throat was also...dry as if he hadn't had a single drop of water to drink for days. The most concerning part of all was he had no idea where he was.</p><p>Like any good ninja, he continues surveying the surroundings looking for clues. He wasn't sure whether he was more terrified or relieved when his gaze finally settles on a man. Obito.</p><p>That's when it all came flooding back. The memory of how he had stabbed Obito through the heart and yet the man, no…the vampire hadn't died. His inhumane red eyes and the fight. Obito had said he was going to take Kakashi back to his family...</p><p>“Oh good, you’re awake.” A warm smile suffuses Obito’s face and he speaks softly, as though to a child. “You’ve been asleep for a few days, so I thought you might be thirsty.”</p><p>The vampire pours dark liquid into a tall cup and places it next to the shinobi. Then he places a hand on Kakashi’s shoulder and slips it down and around his back to help him sit up. “Here, have some wine. Father had it imported from the West.”</p><p>The smile was so caring, Kakashi could almost believe that Obito was merely tending to him because he had taken ill. He knew better, though. "I was asleep for days?"</p><p>Kakashi frowns at the thought, taking the wine. He normally wouldn't have, but surely if Obito actually intended to kill him he would have done so by now. He wouldn't have needed to resort to poison to do it either. He takes a sip of the wine only to spit it out immediately. "That's not wine. That's blood!"</p><p>He was a ninja. Kakashi knew the scent of blood and even the taste of it from occasionally biting his lip too hard. There was wine mixed with the blood, but that didn't change the fact that it was blood. What disturbed him most of all was the fact his hands were itching to snatch the cup again. To drink more of it. His teeth feel strange. Longer, sharper. "What...did you do to me?"</p><p>“I brought you home to my Sire, Izuna. We’re in Kyoto.” Obito offers Kakashi the cup again. “And you’re right, this is bloodwine, a special wine made in the West for our kind. It lacks something gained from fresh blood, I’ll admit, but you’re not ready to feed from the servants yet.”</p><p>Kakashi smacks the cup away letting the crimson red contents splatter across the floor. "I'm not drinking your demon wine or feeding on helpless servants!"</p><p>Obito sighs softly and begins unwrapping his kimono. So Kakashi was going to be difficult, was he? “Then drink from me. You’re newly turned and need blood, otherwise you could become rabid and start feeding on innocent people. And if you did that…I would have to kill you.” The fabric slides from Obito’s shoulders, revealing a flawless canvas of ivory skin.</p><p>Kakashi swallows hard when he sees the vulnerable, tempting skin being put on display before him. His teeth grow ever sharper and longer. This couldn't be happening. "You had me turned into a monster, but I don't have to act like one. I've seen you drink and eat food like a human." Maybe things could go back to the way they were if he tried hard enough.</p><p>“Because I’m not a newborn. I’ve had over a century to learn to control my urges. I’ve learned how to resist ripping out the throats of all the humans around me. And also because two of the servants at Lord Shingen’s manor provided me with a little blood each week.” Obito knew how to control himself, knew how to make feeding painless. “Then I compelled their memories away and it was as if it had never happened.”</p><p>"Newborn? A century? Compelled their memories away?" Kakashi wanted to deny it. To say it was impossible for either of those things to be true, but he couldn't. "If you can erase memories then you should be able to turn me back."</p><p>Obito’s face falls slowly as he rests his hands in his lap. “To what end? Even if you could become human again, you would just be killed. Either by me, for knowing about us. Or by Oda, Takeda, or your own people. I…wanted to save you.”</p><p>Kakashi winces. Obito's words strike him like a quiver full of arrows. He was...right. His life was forfeit one way or another. The vampire sounded so...sincere about his concern. Kakashi knew better than to trust him, but his options were limited. He needed to learn how to survive as a monster. Then he could escape. "You're right. My fate was decided upon the moment I accepted this assignment."</p><p>On the one hand, Obito felt like he should apologize for the unfortunate twist of fate that had brought Kakashi to him. On the other…he didn’t want to, and maybe that was because he was selfish. But now wasn’t the time for dwelling, it was the time for taking responsibility for his actions. He brushes his hair back to bare his neck. “Kakashi…” Obito cups the shinobi’s cheek as he bites his lip, then brushes a bloody kiss against the ninja’s pale lips. “Drink.”</p><p>Kakashi hated himself for it, but soon his lips and tongue were moving of their own according. Lapping up the seductive droplets as quickly as they flowed. The wicked wine had tasted good, but it had nothing on the intoxication of Obito's blood. Was it because Obito was a vampire, the blood wasn't diluted by wine, or something else? Kakashi decides it didn't matter as he continues kissing, licking, and biting at Obito's lips. He needed more.</p><p>“That’s right…” Obito slides into Kakashi’s lap and pulls the ninja’s strong arms around him. He pulls back from the kiss as his swollen lips begin to heal. “Now take it from my neck, and don’t worry about being gentle, I can take it.”</p><p>Kakashi watches in a daze for a few seconds as Obito's lips heal before his very eyes. His gaze grows heady with desire. Once again his rational mind was overridden by instinct. His teeth find purchase in the juncture between Obito's neck and shoulder with ease. They slice through the creamy flesh as easily as if it were butter. He revels in the taste of Obito's rich blood now coating his tongue.</p><p>“Yes…that’s good.” Obito runs his fingers through Kakashi’s spiky black hair and closes his eyes. Being fed on wasn’t a sensation he felt often, and even then it was only truly for emergencies. But there was an intimacy and eroticism to the act that Obito adored. “I made sure to be healthy and full of blood, just for you.”</p><p>"You taste good." Kakashi's voice straddles the line between a growl and a purr as he sinks his teeth in deeper. Obito's blood made him feel stronger somehow. It was a raft in a sea of uncertainty. He couldn't stop himself from savoring the sweet taste even as his human mind tried to tell him the infinite number of reasons why this was wrong.</p><p>Obito smirks at the compliment. “Why thank you. I do taste as good as I look.” He laughs softly as a little blood dribbles down his shoulder and into the soft, spiky raven hair cascading down to the bottom of his shoulder blades.</p><p>Kakashi laps freely flowing blood. Could vampires perish from blood loss? He didn't know, but Kakashi also couldn't afford to find out. Without Obito...he'd be alone. "Obito, I can't stop."</p><p>“It’s okay.” Obito gently pushes Kakashi back down against the futon and smiles. “You did well. You kept your mind together. Some newborns must be restrained when they feed, but you…” Obito caresses Kakashi’s cheek. “You’re still here.”</p><p>It was the most bewildering sensation. Part of Kakashi wanted to tear Obito limb for limb for what he'd done to him and the other was happy about the praise. Soothed by it. "Why didn't you just kill me? Is this some kind of revenge?" Kakashi had tried to assassinate Obito many, many times. Perhaps this was some sort of twisted game. Did the vampire really care for him in his own demented way?</p><p>“It’s not revenge, I had my Sire turn you because I want you.” Obito’s had slides down to Kakashi’s collar and into the pale blue yukata that he had picked out for the shinobi. “You intrigue me and excite me, and I wouldn’t have your life end prematurely because you failed to carry out your mission.” He parts the folds of the yukata and feels the play of strong muscles under the pads of his fingers.</p><p>Kakashi watches Obito with confused eyes. His words carried no hint of deception, but perhaps he was just a skilled liar. Still, his body was responding to the gentle touches, and his mind to the praise. "It's not fair when you touch me like that. It makes it hard to think." Was he drunk off of Obito's blood? Kakashi closes his eyes, breathing deeply. Maybe...for a few minutes at least he'd focus on the wonderful feelings Obito could still evoke from him. He'd escape later. Yes, that sounded good.</p><hr/><p>Obito slips back into the room hidden deep in the center of the manor with a small pot tucked into his sleeve. Thus far Kakashi’s turning hadn’t been a complete disaster, but he knew that there was a great deal more work to be done before Kakashi was ready to function as a vampire. It would take years to properly acclimatize him. And it hadn’t even been a day.</p><p>“Are you awake, Kakashi?” Obito had thought long and hard about what he might do to help ease Kakashi’s transition. His solution was to employ whatever techniques he could to make Kakashi more comfortable. After all, the more comfortable the shinobi felt, the less likely he would be to suddenly run off and force Obito to chase him down and drag him home.</p><p>Kakashi sits up. He hadn't been sleeping. The newborn had tried again and again. Hoping that sleep would find him so that perhaps he might wake up from this strange nightmare. It was all to no avail, though. "Yes. Did you bring more blood?"</p><p>It was shameful the way that he had drunk from Obito. Turned into a cuddly kitten when promised some blood. Still, even now...his throat was starting to ache. The memory of the other vampire's delicious blood continues to burn deep within the recesses of his mind.</p><p>“I didn’t, but I suppose you could always seduce more out of me.” Obito certainly wouldn’t be opposed to another romp. “Blood tastes best when drunk fresh from the vein in the throes of passion.”</p><p>Kakashi was thankful for the dim lighting. His cheeks were far too warm for them not to be bathed in pink. "You let me seduce you. You knew the whole time what I was planning to do."</p><p>“Of course I did, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. That is why I come with a gift.” Obito kneels by Kakashi’s bedside and smiles. “But I promise you that the next time will be quite different. And you will never forget how it feels to have me make love to you.”</p><p>"You mean you enjoyed me stabbing you through the heart? Who knew you were such a masochist?" Kakashi almost smirks at that only to tilt his head in a baffled way at the promise of both a gift and Obito's other declaration. "You're rather confident that will happen given our history. What have you brought me?"</p><p>Kakashi looks at Obito curiously. Boredom he tries to tell himself. That was why he was looking. He'd spent the last several hours staring at the same walls and ceilings. So, a gift was a welcome and needed diversion.</p><p>“Of course I’m confident. I’m quite charming, if you hadn’t noticed.” Obito withdraws the small pot from his sleeve and holds it up. “I thought that I might perform anma for you to help you relax. Normally it’s done with the clothes on, but I thought we might dispense with the clothes and use sandalwood oil to soothe your spirits.”</p><p>"Or you're just a deviant who will use any excuse to disrobe me." Kakashi hesitates for a moment before deciding it was just easier to indulge Obito on this point. "I suppose there's no point in feigning modesty. You've already seen everything there is to see..."</p><p>“I have, and I am looking forward to seeing it again.” Obito sets the pot on the floor and reaches for Kakashi’s yukata to push it down over those broad shoulders. It was, of course, a rather nice yukata, and as much as it flattered the ninja, Obito would much rather see him out of it. “I think you’ll find that deviancy is quite common among our kind.”</p><p>It was ridiculous, but Kakashi could feel the burn of embarrassment. "That does explain a great deal. So, you said something about a massage?"</p><p>He shouldn't be indulging this. Obito had arranged for him to be turned into a monster and yet he claimed he'd done it to save Kakashi from certain death. He'd also spoken of making love. Obito sounded genuine whenever he spoke of his demented affections...perhaps insanity was a byproduct of becoming a vampire?</p><p>“I did.” Obito chuckles as he sits back and pulls up the sleeves of his kimono. He ties them back and opens the pot of softly fragrant oil. He’d chosen it so that it wouldn’t overwhelm the newborn’s senses. “Now, lay on your stomach. If there is tension in you, I think you would carry it between your neck and your hips.”</p><p>Kakashi lays on his stomach. If Obito had wanted to kill him, he would have done it before now. "Alright, but only a massage."</p><p>Obito chuckles as he coats his fingers in the oil. It wasn’t quite standard to use oil, but his Sire had told him about the technique and he found he rather liked it. “I make no promises if you lay there and tempt me, my little silver wolf.” He glides his palms along Kakashi’s back to slicken the skin with a light coating of oil.</p><p>"I'm not yours and I'm no longer silver."  Kakashi sighs in pleasure at the gentle touches. "And I'm definitely not little, but I don't mind being compared to a wolf."</p><p>“You are still a cub to me, Kakashi. I was born nearly one hundred and sixty years ago.” And while that was nothing next to the likes of Izuna or Madara, Obito found it respectable enough. “Though I do so miss your beautiful silver hair. It was what struck me the most the first time you tried to kill me.”</p><p>"My hair color stuck out to you most..not the fact I was trying to assassinate you?" The man really was a masochist. Kakashi shakes his head, relaxing into the massage. "Never mind. Perhaps it's best not to try to understand what goes in that head of yours. You are very skilled with your hands, though."</p><p>“Thank you. I learned from Master Akashi himself.” Obito had spent many of his years learning from a number of masters in their fields. Still, he longed to go abroad and explore what lay beyond his homeland. “And you act as though I should be surprised by an attempted assassination.” Obito strokes the muscles, then presses firmly and deeply into them to find the knots left over from when the human blood had coursed through Kakashi’s veins and left knots of stress deep within him. “Do you know how many assassins have been sent to kill me?”</p><p>"I imagine a great many, but you seem more amused than anything." He lets out a soft sigh of pleasure as Obito slowly works all the physical tension out of his body.</p><p>“I am amused because what I see is humans struggling futilely to kill me.” Without something more substantial with which to occupy his time, Obito had taken to watching humans struggle against fate. It was a slightly amusing pastime. “They try to best me in combat and end up killed because I am stronger and faster and they fail to deal a mortal blow. Some try to arrange accidents that fail because of my agility and resistance to injury or to heat or cold. And some try to poison me, not realizing that, as I am already dead, I cannot be killed by poison.”</p><p>"Yes, I tried a little of everything." In some cases, a lot of everything and despite all that, Obito was still here. "You're annoyingly hard to kill. At least now I know why. You aren't human." He'd been destined to fail from the start. How could a man ever hope to kill a vampire?</p><p>“You know, you almost did manage it.” Obito chuckles as he presses his fingers deep into Kakashi’s neck. “During our first encounter, you might have beheaded me were you a little quicker. Fortunately, I’ve been trained to expect and dodge such attacks. Your sword couldn’t even touch my topknot.”</p><p>"You had an unfair advantage. I was human and you weren't. You wouldn't be so lucky now." Kakashi huffs at the strange blend of a compliment and tease.</p><p>“I suppose that’s true, but even now I’m still faster and stronger than you are. That’s why I’m here to look after you, rather than our Sire. I asked for you to be turned, and so now you are my responsibility.” And Obito was quite serious about taking on the challenge. “And so, if there is anything you need, just ask.”</p><p>"I need to know how to survive like this without killing innocent people." It was one thing to go after targets, but Kakashi wasn't going to leave a trail of carnage behind him for no reason.</p><p>“That’s simple. You learn to feed properly and how to control your thirst. The first few years are the hardest, and that is why a Sire will keep their children close for a number of years before allowing them to wander about outside unsupervised.” Obito had gone through it, as had Kagami and Hiroto before him. “But as Father is often occupied, I will take his place.”</p><p>"It takes years?" That was disheartening. Still, Kakashi would do his best to master things quickly. "That sounds dangerous..."</p><p>“You sound as if a few years is a long time.” Obito remembered a time like that…vaguely. “To you, it may seem that way now, but in a century or two you will look back on these years as if they were a fleeting childhood.”</p><p>"I suppose it is fitting in a way that my second childhood will feel as brief as my first." Kakashi barely remembered a time when their family wasn't a meal or two away from starvation after his father's death. "Perhaps I'll enjoy this one more than my first."</p><p>Obito slows his ministrations and his touches become tender and gentle. “May I ask what happened to them?” He’d heard stories of a false childhood from Kakashi, but the sorrow in the ninja’s voice was genuine.</p><p>"We were farmers, but life was difficult. My father became a ninja to feed us. He was eventually killed on a mission. I followed in his footsteps and for a time managed to care for them until a sickness swept through our village. I was only spared because I was away on a mission." Kakashi sighed. The memories were painful and ones he'd rather forget.</p><p>Suddenly, Obito feels a pang of regret. “I’m sorry…” Had he known…had he been more patient… “Had I known, I could have compelled the memories away before you were turned.”</p><p>"The memories are painful and the selfish part of me would rather forget, but I suppose it's better this way. History will never remember them, but I will. Maybe one day, the memories won't hurt as much." Kakashi chuckles ruefully, remembering why he had chosen this mission. "I had planned to become wealthy off of my latest mission. I was going to buy a fancy home and possibly seduce a geisha into starting a family. Retire from being a ninja and live a lazy, luxurious lifestyle." It was ironic in hindsight.</p><p>“I may not be a geisha, but I can certainly give you much of that list. And acquiring a geisha or a dozen would be no difficult task. Though I will admit that the matter of a family might be…somewhat unconventional.” But Obito was confident that he could provide nearly everything Kakashi wanted.</p><p>"I don't understand you." Kakashi glances at the other vampire with skeptical eyes. "You saved me from certain death, say you want to make love to me, and now you're offering me a harem of geisha."</p><p>Obito shrugs. “I want you to be happy. And in a way, we are effectively family now. You may not be an Uchiha, but you do belong to us now. So long as I can have you, you can have as many geisha as you want. The two of us will live forever. They won’t.”</p><p>"Forever?" He couldn't imagine such a thing. Kakashi wasn't sure which was more difficult to reconcile that Obito wouldn't be jealous or that he might be serious about their longevity.</p><p>“Yes, from now on, you need never fear poison, disease, even old age. So long as you don’t find yourself with your heart torn out or run through with wood, your body burnt to ash, or your head separated from your neck…you will not die of any natural cause or act of violence against you.” Obito found it rather convenient, actually. “You will remain forever as you are now, in the prime of your adulthood.”</p><p>"I see. No wonder you were so difficult to kill." Kakashi blinks trying to come to grips with his newfound borderline immortality. "A rather harrowing and exciting thought all at once."</p><p>“Yes, now if you had found me when I was twenty three years old and still human…I certainly wouldn’t have fared nearly so well against your assassination attempts.” While the prospect of immortality was challenging at times, Obito found that he rather liked having the opportunity to learn and explore indefinitely. “But now that I have eternity before me, I’d like to see the world and learn everything it has to teach me. That includes sampling all of the food, of course.”</p><p>"Well, that fact certainly does soothe my wounded pride." After all, how could he be expected to kill a vampire as a human. "Eternity...I never thought about it. It was never a possibility."</p><p>“And now it’s your future to do whatever you like with.” Obito rolls his palms down over Kakashi’s lower back. “Once I’ve taught you how to feed and control yourself, at least. Once I’m confident that you’ve achieved enough control to not pounce at the sight of blood, we can have you practice with some of the servants under supervision.”</p><p>"That sounds intriguing..." Kakashi sighs in bliss, he'd find a way around the last part. Somehow. Otherwise he could work with this.</p><p>“I’m sure. After all, you fell asleep a human, and now you’ve woken as so much more.” Vampirism was a gift, and Obito intended to ensure that Kakashi saw it that way as well.</p><p>"When you put it that way, maybe I should avoid sleep in the future. I don't think I could handle any more surprises." Kakashi chuckles albeit a bit nervously.</p><p>“I’m sure that you don’t give yourself enough credit. You haven’t started screaming or draining the blood from every hapless human within five leagues. I would think thats a good sign that you can handle your surprises.” Besides, what fun would life be if there were no surprises? Obito thrived on them.</p><p>"You are an optimist to the point of foolishness. You realize this, correct?" Kakashi laughs. Yes, he had met those qualifications.</p><p>“Yes, I know. Father says that sort of thing about me often.” Obito laughs and kisses the back of Kakashi’s neck. “But I’m sure that you’ll come to love it in time.”</p><p>Kakashi squirms biting back a groan. "That's cheating. You know that my neck is sensitive."</p><p>“And everything will be even more sensitive from now on.” One of Obito’s hands sink down to cup the shinobi’s backside. “It’s why I’ve kept light from the room, why there’s no incense, why I’m speaking softly. Every one of your senses will be heightened. Sight. Hearing. Smell. Taste…” His hand squeezes firmly. “Touch.”</p><p>Another soft groan escapes Kakashi's lips as he takes in the full weight of Obito's words. "That rather considerate of you. What a gentle deviant you are."</p><p>“Yes, I thought so.” Obito snickers quietly and presses his fingers deep into Kakashi’s skin. “Believe me, you’ll come to appreciate the advantages of being a vampire. The world will be at your fingertips.”</p><p>"That, or at least one perverted vampire." Kakashi laughs in spite of it all. Well, at least he wouldn't be bored while he plotted his escape.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Reluctantly, Kakashi allows Obito to pull him enthusiastically through the house. The other vampire was a lot stronger and far too excitable. Today's mission was apparently visiting some seamstresses in his Clan. Kakashi couldn't be trusted as a 'newborn' vampire at the market yet. It was too dangerous and his...well, Obito thought Kakashi needed more than one outfit of his own to wear. Frankly, Kakashi couldn't really argue with the logic and Obito was far too smug whenever he wore something belonging to him.</p><p>He'd been a vampire for two weeks. Slowly, Kakashi was starting to get used to the enhanced senses. The thirst for blood much to his horror never really went away. Constantly sipping at bloodwine was enough to keep him from taking all leave of his senses. For now, he was doing his best to go along with Obito's antics without looking 'suspiciously eager' about it. He needed to gain the vampire's trust and to learn the estate's layout if he was ever going to escape.</p><p>“I think you would look rather nice in blue, don’t you?” Obito grins widely as he leads his charge through the twisting and turning halls. “It’s a nice calming color, and I think that it would help to set off your pretty silver hair.” Though with those words comes a slight frown. “Was it really necessary to dye it, though? Inky black hair seems too…ordinary for you.”</p><p>"I don't mind blue." Kakashi didn't think what color clothes he wore mattered as a vampire. Obito could have said yellow or even pink and the former ninja wouldn't have protested. "And yes, I did. Silver hair sticks out too much when you're trying to blend in. Besides, it'll grow out."</p><p>“Yes, I know.” He’d said it the last time Obito had complained about the subject too. “Lady Morika?” He pokes his head through the doorway of the weaving rooms with a hopeful smile. “Lady Morika, are you in?”</p><p>"I'm here, Lord Obito. What can I do for you?" A woman with long black hair and kind brown eyes peeks her head out.</p><p>Obito grins and cheerfully pulls his newborn lover into the room. “I was hoping that you might be able to spare some time to fashion some new kimono for my little wolf here.”</p><p>"Will you stop calling me that? I'm not little and I'm not yours." Kakashi crosses his arms. He still had his dignity if not his heartbeat.</p><p>"Of course, anything for you, my lord." Morika smiled as she pulls out her measuring tape and begins taking Kakashi's measurements. "Dear, please hold out your arms. I need to figure out what size kimono you'll need and don't fret. I'm certain you and Lord Obito can resolve the matter of your term of endearment. I must say our lord does have excellent taste. You are a handsome one."</p><p>“Isn’t he?” Obito beams proudly at his rather irate lover. “Kakashi, dear, take it for the compliment it is. And when last I checked, it was my bed you made love to me in. I think that would qualify you to be mine.” He reaches up and twirls a few locks of Kakashi’s dark hair around his fingers. “And when the rest of my cousins lay eyes on you, I’m sure that they’ll agree that you’re the most handsome man they’ve ever met. Not counting Father, of course.”</p><p>"Obito, I believe you're forgetting a rather critical part of that story." Kakashi holds his arms out for the seamstresses, trying to conceal his sulking. Only Obito could romanticize sleeping with someone who tried to kill him immediately after.</p><p>Morika couldn't hide her giggle. These two were going to be delightfully entertaining to watch. Her fingers flick around her brush as she marks down Kakashi's measurements. "I imagine your relationship will set everyone's tongues wagging. Vampires love a good love story as much as humans do. Perhaps more." She nods checking Kakashi's shoulders. "And you're right, a handsome one indeed."</p><p>“Yes, I can hardly find a thing to complain about.” Obito’s little wolf was very nearly perfect. Except maybe… “Might I borrow your fabric shears?” It couldn’t be so hard to fix what had grated on his nerves the most this past year, could it?</p><p>"Yes, of course. There's some in the basket on the table." Her expression becomes perplexed. "If you don't mind me asking, what do you need them for, my lord?"</p><p>“Don’t worry, I have no plans to get myself into trouble with them.” Obito saunters away from the pair and rummages through the basket. He plucks them from under a length of soft fabric and clicks them once between his fingers. Then he turns around, hiding them away as he grins. “Are you nearly done with the measurements?”</p><p>Kakashi eyes Obito suspiciously. Why did he have a bad feeling about the vampire playing with shears?</p><p>"Oh yes, I'm done." She smiles, putting the measuring stick aside and moving away from Kakashi. "You said a kimono. Did you have anything specific in mind for the design or fabric?"</p><p>“One kimono in silk, three in cotton. I think it might be nice to dress him in blue to complement his beautiful silver hair.” Obito grins slyly and saunters over to Kakashi. “I think highlighting one of his most unique features will help him to stand out here.” He puts a hand on Kakashi’s shoulder and presses down with an insistent force. “Now sit.”</p><p>"I think not." Kakashi stands up. He wasn't entirely certain where Obito was going with this, but he knew it had something to do with his hair. "I'm perfectly fine with blending in. The kimonos suit my tastes just fine, though."</p><p>The seamstress laughs softly. "A lover's quarrel it is then. Well, I'll leave you two to it. I'll be in the back getting started on the kimonos." She winks at them and slips off with a basket of tools and a pile of fabric in her arms.</p><p>Obito snickers, then presses down with far more strength than the newborn could hope to possess to push Kakashi to sit on the floor. “Now, behave yourself and don’t protest like that unless you would like the wolf cub pet name to stick.”</p><p>Feeling rather undignified, Kakashi glowers. "That's not fair using your superior strength for such a trivial matter. Though if it will spare me from that sticking, I'll indulge you."</p><p>“Good, now hold still.” Obito runs his fingers gently through Kakashi’s blackened hair. He could see the silver peeking out underneath. He rests the shears against his fingers, protecting the silver from the blades as they close around the charcoal locks. “Honestly, black hair doesn’t suit you in the least. I would have much preferred if you hadn’t dyed it so darkly in the first place.”</p><p>"You didn't seem to mind my hair color when we were 'making love.'" Kakashi snorts. Who knew that a man who drank blood would be so fixated on something as silly as what color his hair was? "Besides, I told you my silver hair would have made me stand out too much on my mission." Sighing, he refrains from shaking his head and sits still. One would think Obito was constructing a temple rather than just 'fixing' his hair.</p><p>“Then why did you leave it silver the first night you tried to kill me?” Obito hums curiously. “It certainly would have made you stand out less in the trees if you had dyed it green.” He allows a handful of black locks fall into the shinobi’s lap as he exposes a patch of short silver hair to the light.</p><p>"I thought that you'd be dead long before it would matter." Kakashi watches as more of his hair falls into his lap. It was such a surreal experience to have the man he'd tried to kill treat his body as if it was something sacred.</p><p>Obito snickers again. “I see, you thought it would be much easier to kill me.” He pulls at the back of Kakashi’s hair to remove the dyed strands from his nape. “I remember the look on your face the moment you came flying out of the trees after I pulled your predecessor’s skull from the pond. It was the most intriguing mix of fear, fury, and determination that I had ever seen.”</p><p>"I did. Had I known I was trying to kill a vampire or even what that was, my calculations would have been altered drastically." Actually, Kakashi likely would have refused the mission. What was done was done, though. "And I still believe you're a masochist. You enjoyed seeing my fury?"</p><p>“Of course. It’s something that I rarely get to see from someone who hasn’t given up.” Obito sighs as he clips the locks from the sides of Kakashi’s head. The silver shone as beautifully as the moon he watched every night when watching the sun felt too bright. “Usually, when I’m met with that sort of fury…it’s when an enemy is angry and afraid…and about to die.”</p><p>"I still don't understand you. You could have killed me with ease at any moment." And yet, Obito hadn't. Not only had he allowed someone who tried to kill him multiple times to live, he'd granted Kakashi something bordering on immorality and was now giving him a kimonos of all things. "What was the difference between me and any of the others?" He could have just as easily joined the other would-be assassin at the bottom of the pond.</p><p>“It’s…hard to explain.” Truly it was, and even Obito had trouble putting the words to it. “I think…that your spirit is different. There’s more fire in your heart, a greater desire to live. You came at me, wanting to kill me to make a life for yourself. The others…I was a mission, a duty, an item on the list before the next mission. For you, I suppose I was your hope. And even if I didn’t know your motivation, I could see your drive.”</p><p>"You're not wrong. I thought that killing you would be the end of my life as a ninja." And in some ways, Kakashi had been correct about that. "Now...I need to adapt to whatever this new life has to offer."</p><p>“Yes, and that means learning to control your bloodlust, and learning what it means to be an Uchiha’s lover.” Obito runs his fingers through the front of Kakashi’s hair, and one by one, the dark locks fall prey to the shears and disappear into the small pile in the shinobi’s lap. Then he carefully snips away the tiny pieces of black remaining, before putting down the shears and running his hands over the short, bristly silver hair. “There we are. My silver wolf is silver once more.”</p><p>"The bloodlust is the hardest part. I always want more blood." As much as it was repulsive in theory to drink, it tasted like the heavens on his tongue. "And I suppose silver wolf is better than wolf cub. I still don't belong to you, though." Why he was arguing Kakashi didn't know. It'd be smarter to indulge Obito, but pride was an unrelenting mistress at times.</p><p>“Are you thirsty?” Obito brushes the stray hair from Kakashi’s shoulders and onto the floor. He would definitely need to sweep later. The man’s hair was so thick! “If you are, you can have a drink.” He crouches and brushes the pile from Kakashi’s lap, only to seat himself there instead. Obito’s eyes glow red as he settles into the newborn’s lap. He tilts his head invitingly. “I promise that I’m well fed. You can have as much as you want.”</p><p>Kakashi wanted to say no. Obito...enjoyed being bitten. A lot. But the vampire's blood was far more satisfying than even the delicious bloodwine. "I'm always thirsty. It's maddening and your blood tastes so sweet." The way Obito's eyes glowed red and bared his neck without hesitation was a heady aphrodisiac despite Kakashi's best efforts for it not to be. It didn't take him long to give into temptation and sink his fangs into the smooth skin underneath them.</p><p>Obito’s eyes slide shut and his fingers gently stroke the back of Kakashi’s head and curl into his clothes. The feeling of Kakashi’s lips against his skin reminded him of that sweetly euphoric night…before Kakashi had put a dagger in his heart.</p><p>It was addictive. Kakashi's mind goes blissfully blank save for how exquisite Obito's blood tasted on his tongue. Eventually, he reluctantly pulls away. "Thank you."</p><p>“You’re very welcome.” Obito presses a cheeky kiss to Kakashi’s lips and faintly tastes his own blood upon them. “It gets easier, I promise. In a few decades, all of this will seem almost normal to you.”</p><p>"I can't imagine that." The decades or it ever becoming normal. Both were so alien. "But time will tell."</p><p>“You’re right.” Obito’s eyes glitter with excitement. “And now we have all of the time in the world for me to show you what a gift this is.”</p><p>"You remind me of a puppy hoping to get a treat in this moment." Obito was quite the paradox. In some ways he was as innocent as a child and in others, decidedly less so.</p><p>“Well, maybe I am hoping for a treat.” Obito smirks and shifts to sit facing Kakashi with his kimono pulled open so his knees can slide around the shinobi’s hips. “It’s been over a week and a half since you last took me to bed after all. A vampire is special in many ways. Everything about us is…enhanced. Our sense of hearing, our sight, touch…” His hand drifts down towards Kakashi’s crotch. “Speed. Strength. Desire…”</p><p>"That does explain a great deal." Kakashi pauses as he considers Obito's words. They were already lovers. Did it really matter whether they were intimate once, twice, or more? It didn't change his plans. Was there any reason not to indulge himself? "Is it different as a vampire?"</p><p>Obito chuckles and leans in to nip at Kakashi’s ear, only to blow a few stands of dark hair from his mouth. “Come, let’s go get washed up. You can be perfectly clean for your kimono fitting later.”</p><p>"A bath does sound nice." Obito's proximity was horrific for his vocabulary. Kakashi could feel the words getting stuck on his tongue. Well, the other vampire had said being...this increased desire. Maybe that was why the small nip was so erotic.</p><p>“Then come with me.” Obito takes Kakashi by the hand and leads his newborn from the room and down the hall, deeper into the manor’s complex. “It might be a little cool at first, but we should rinse you off before getting into the bath anyway.” He pushes open a door in the wall and it slides open easily with a muffled thump. A large wooden pool sits in the middle of the room, and surrounding it are a number of stools and buckets fit for washing off before a bath.</p><p>"I don't mind a little cold water." Kakashi allows himself to be lead off. His eyes survey the well-prepared room. "You're trying to spoil me."</p><p>“Of course I spoil you, you’re mine now.” Obito’s hand slips from the shinobi’s and he saunters towards the stools, shedding clothes along the way. Flawless ivory skin stretches over lithe muscles, board shoulders, and a tapered waist. “Now, take off your clothes and come here.”</p><p>"You can be rather arrogant at times. I never said I was yours." Still, Kakashi finds himself disrobing. It wasn't as though he was bashful when it came to his body and Obito had already seen him undressed before anyway. He heads towards the stools, unable to keep himself from stealing a few glances at his lover's equally bare form.</p><p>Obito smirks and sits upon a stool, then lays a short length of cloth across his lap. Then he pulls the tie from his topknot and thick dark hair cascades down his shoulders. “At least I’ve stripped you of your sense of modesty already.” The door opens once more and two human servants scuttle in with a large wooden tub of gently steaming water on a wheeled cart.</p><p>"That's hardly a victory. I never had any to begin with." Kakashi watches as the human servants scurry too and fro. It hadn't been that long ago that he'd been one of them. Both a human and a servant...well, at least playing the part of one.</p><p>“Then you’ll fit in here perfectly.” Obito takes a small bucket and dips it into the steaming water set between them. He raises the bucket above his head and drenches himself with a beautiful cascade of hot water. Then he put the bucket down and takes up a bar of fragrant soap to scrub across his skin and hair. “Did you have warm baths when you were a child?”</p><p>"No. We were always struggling to get by. Most of our efforts went into either tending the land or in my case, like my father's, missions later on." Kakashi couldn't help but be a little transfixed at the image Obito presented. He was the picture of grace at the moment.</p><p>“Then I think you’ll enjoy this.” Obito rinses himself off, then moves to sit behind Kakashi. “Warm baths are one of the best feelings in the world, I think.” And he scoops up a bucket of water to pour over Kakashi’s head, rinsing away all of the stray hairs left behind. Then he takes up the soap and lathers it in his hands to spread it across Kakashi’s scalp and skin.</p><p>"I wouldn't know, but that does feel good." Kakashi decides to indulge Obito's doting. While he doubted he'd ever understand what went on in the other vampire's head, hell...he doubted Obito even understood half the time, there was little reason to protest the gentle administrations. "How long do you think it will take them to prepare the bath?"</p><p>“Not long, the water is already being heated, and they stoke the fires nice and high to warm it quickly before reducing them to coals.” Obito glances over his shoulder at the large bath where warm water flows from bamboo shoots to mix with the cold water being warmed by the fires. “So just relax and let me get you clean first.” He shakes some of the lather from his hands, then takes a bucket of water and carefully pours it over Kakashi’s head to rinse the suds away.</p><p>"Very well. It does seem counterproductive considering how eager you are to be bedded, though." He glances back at eccentric, if not downright insane, handsome vampire behind him.</p><p>“Not really, what was really counterproductive was not seducing you myself earlier. If I had known what a passionate lover you could be, I would have invited you to bed me sooner.” Obito smirks and runs his hands down over Kakashi’s throat. “But don’t worry, I wouldn’t be so selfish as to make you do all of the work. I’ll take good care of you too.”</p><p>Kakashi shivers at the suggestive touch. His skin had grown even more sensitive after becoming a vampire. "How generous of you, but I assure you I prefer to take the more...aggressive role."</p><p>“Always? Forever? You want the same old thing every time for however many centuries you might live?” Obito knew that newborns could be stuck in their ways, but with eternity ahead to consider…he would open Kakashi’s eyes to the possibilities. “The water should be warm enough now.” He takes Kakashi by the hand and stands, pulling the newborn with him. “Come, it’s time for you to enjoy a real bath.” He tugs the shinobi back towards the softly steaming water.</p><p>Kakashi almost had to commend Obito on his cunning. It was a logical enough argument. He'd probably succeeded in convincing most of his lovers to hand control over to him by sheer virtue of the enchantment of novelty. He wasn't that easily fooled, however, but he allows Obito to guide him towards the bath nonetheless. "I wouldn't worry about such things. I imagine you'll grow bored of me long before centuries pass, let alone forever." Whatever whim had struck Obito would likely disappear as quickly as it had come. Until then, Kakashi needed to learn to survive as a vampire and might as well enjoy the more pleasurable methods of gaining Obito's trust.</p><p>Obito chuckles and presses a searing kiss to Kakashi’s lips. His fingers dance from the short silver strands and down along Kakashi’s cheek to cup the back of his neck. His lover was so stubborn, but that was fine. He would just have to fuck the protests out of Kakashi. “You’ll love it, I promise. I know exactly what to do to light a fire inside of you. Then you’ll be the one begging me to have my way with you.” His lips travel to the underside of Kakashi’s jaw and kiss a soft bruise into the skin.</p><p>He returns the kiss with a defiant look. Kakashi hadn't expected Obito to kiss him hard enough to leave a mark or to be so determined about it. Still, he wanted to gain the other vampire's trust and this would be one of the easiest ways to do that. "You didn't seem to have any complaints when I was the one bedding you and I don't beg. I know you, though. If you're demented enough to court the one who tried to kill you over a hundred times, you won't give up on this either. So, I'll indulge you this once. You get one chance to impress me."</p><p>“One chance is all I need.” Obito grins and picks Kakashi up as easily as carrying a basket of fruit. He gazes down at the newborn in his arms and smiles charmingly. “You’ll never forget the feeling of me making love to you, I promise you that.”</p><p>Kakashi shakes his head as he kisses the other vampire. Obito really was the most dangerous breed possible. A demented romantic. "We'll see and I would prefer it if you didn't carry me about as if I was your bride."</p><p>“You’re not my bride, you’re my lover, and I’ll carry you however and whenever I like because you weigh no more than a kimono does to me.” Obito steps down into the warm water and turns to sit back against the side of the tub. He settles Kakashi in his lap and pulls his shinobi into another searing kiss as he fits their bodies flush against each other.</p><p>"You are the most stubborn vampire that I've ever met." Kakashi returns the kiss, staring at Obito. "I may not have met very many of them, but I feel confident in saying that no one is ever going to outstubborn you save for myself." He'd make sure of that last part. Indulging in the sensation of the kiss only to stroke Obito's growing arousal.</p><p>“Oh I am very stubborn.” Obito hums in approval and presses into the questing touch. His own fingers slide up Kakashi’s thighs to his backside, where he strokes and caresses gently. His hips roll against Kakashi’s, pressing the shinobi’s hand between his erection and Kakashi’s own, still stirring to life.</p><p>Despite his best efforts not to, Kakashi could feel his face growing warm between the gentle touches and the sensation of their arousals so close together. "Yes, you are. It's very irritating." Deciding to distract himself from it, he sinks his fangs into Obito's neck savoring the sweet taste of his blood as he strokes faster. His other hand sliding over the other man's well-sculpted chest in a gentle glide.</p><p>“Good…” Obito’s eyes flare with a crimson light as he glides his fangs along Kakashi’s skin, then sinks them into the pale flesh presented to him. His lips chase the touch of his fangs, enveloping the spot of penetration in warmth. He sucks on the spot, drawing sweet blood from beneath the skin and over his tongue.</p><p>A soft moan escapes Kakashi's lips. He couldn't help it. He liked being bitten. Perhaps it was just a natural part of being a vampire. "Stop being so shy and fuck me."</p><p>Obito smirks against Kakashi’s skin and thrusts two fingers inside of his lover to scissor him open. “Oh I will, I promise you that.” Then he curls his fingers into Kakashi’s spot and rubs hard to offset the sensation of the sudden penetration.</p><p>Kakashi hisses in pain and pleasure. He rocks back against the sensation, trying to grow accustomed to it faster. "Good. I believe you made me a promise."</p><p>“That I did. And now you’ve gone and pulled my tail. You should know how dangerous that can be, Kakashi.” Obito bites down a little harder, releases his shinobi from the bite, then pulls Kakashi ever more tightly against him. “This is your last chance to ask me to be gentle with you instead.”</p><p>He touches where Obito had bitten him, feeling a red wetness there. He wouldn't be turned into a meek kitten so easily, though. "I suppose that depends on what you think you excel at more. The role of a gentle lover or the fiery one."</p><p>“Who says that I haven’t excelled at both?” Obito smirks and presses a bloody kiss to Kakashi’s lips, then removes his fingers and lifts Kakashi up in his arms and bring him back down as he thrusts up into the constricting warmth of his lover’s body.</p><p>"Cocky bastard." Kakashi grunts into the kiss, rocking his hips as he slowly moves up and down on his lover.</p><p>Obito’s grip tightens and he embraces his shinobi tightly, deepening the kiss as he quickens his pace. His tongue invades his silver wolf’s mouth and he smirks as he thrusts up and into the spot that so incensed Kakashi only moments before.</p><p>He matches the kiss and pace with equal ferocity as a searing pleasure ripples through his body intermingling with pleasure. He sees white stars explode behind his eyes as his release came hard and fast and with unforgiving force.</p><p>Red eyes gleam with satisfaction and desire and an all-consuming want, a NEED for the man sitting atop him. “You see?” Obito smirks into the kiss. “I can give you the same pleasure that you gave to me.” Obito caresses Kakashi’s cheek and shifts the newborn atop him, only to again drive into him mercilessly.</p><p>His silver wolf wasn’t going anywhere.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>